Questioner:
How are we to treat others?
There are no
others.
Posts Tagged → meditation
the one who fights with sorrow
chris hondros, friend and hero
In conflict
it is better to be receptive
than aggressive, better to retreat
a foot than advance an inch. This is called
moving ahead without advancing, capturing the enemy
without attacking him. There is no greater misfortune
than underestimating your opponent. To
underestimate your opponent is
to forsake your three
treasures.
When opposing
forces are engaged in
conflict, the one who fights
with sorrow will
triumph.
reach a place of quiet refuge
Flow like pure water
through difficult situations.
The image of the hexagram K’an is that of water: water falling from the heavens, water coursing over the earth in streams, water collecting itself in pure and silent pools. This image is meant to teach us how to conduct ourselves in trying situations. If we flow through them, staying true to what is pure and innocent in ourselves, we escape danger and reach a place of quiet refuge and good fortune beyond.
K’an often appears to warn of a troubling time either drawing near or already at hand, and to counsel you not to fall into longing for an immediate and effortless solution to the trouble. When you become “emotionally ambitious” – when you cling to comfort and desire to be free of the currents of change in life – you block the Creative from resolving difficulties in your favor. What is necessary now is to accept the situation, to flow with it like water, to remain innocent and pure and sincere while the Higher Power works out a solution.
It is not that you should not act now; it is that you should not act out of frustration, anxiety, despair, or a desire to escape the situation. Instead, still yourself and look for the lesson hidden inside the difficulty. Correct your attitude until it is open, detached, and unstructured. Abandon your goals and stay on the path, where you proceed step by step, arm in arm, with the Sage.
Those whose hearts and minds are kept pure and innocent relate properly to all events, understand their cosmic meaning, and flow through them with the strength, clarity, and brilliance of pure water.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
Hexagram 29, K’an / The Abysmal (Water)
ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,
Hua hu Ching, and Art of War for
☯️ reality flows ☯️
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.
do not even do this non-doing
on this date a buddha was born
A monk asked Chao Chou,
“Does a dog also have the Buddha nature, or not?”
Chao Chou replied, ‘Mu.’ This Mu is not the Mu of yes or no;
it is not the Mu of true nonexistence. Ultimately what is it?
To reach that place from where Chao Chou said Mu
one must straightaway lay down
the entire body.
Do not do anything
(good or bad) and do not even do this
not-doing; then straightaway one reaches that place
where there is no concern for external affairs, that vast
and peaceful place where there are absolutely
no obstructing thoughts.
There, all thoughts
of the past are extinguished,
all thoughts of the future do not arise,
and all present thoughts
are void.
an outpouring of benevolent energy
to the surfers who saved my life
If you are alert to the Creative,
you will meet with good
fortune now.
This hexagram signals a time when the fundamental creative power of the universe is available to you. An unrestricted outpouring of benevolent energy from the heavens makes possible profound progress for those who are conscientiously following proper principles.
Frantic activity is not in order. Your responsibility instead is to be open and receptive to the Higher Power, allowing it to guide your actions. By allowing inferior thoughts and habits to pass away, you make room for an expansion of your superior qualities, which leads inevitably to good fortune.
In your conduct with others, embody tolerance, reticence, and gentleness. Strive to meet others halfway in every situation. To overextend yourself, or require that of another, is to create an undesirable imbalance.
Your attitude toward the Sage is most important. Alertness and receptiveness are paramount. To receive the powerful assistance of the Creative, remain humble, patient, accepting, and responsive. Careful attention to truth brings vast rewards at this time.
The I Ching, or Book of Changes
Hexagram 1, Ch’ien / The Creative
FOURTH CHANGING LINE
A place of transition.
There is the possibility of progress in
many directions. Let go of preconceived notions
about your proper path. You succeed by
allowing the Creative
to guide you.
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
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.