it is a dangerous hour

you are your own teacher

 

Darkness reappears unexpectedly.

Caution and reticence

are in order.

 
It is a dangerous hour. Through an eruption of our inferior nature darkness has interrupted the flow of light. The inferior can be quite seductive, and if we are not resolute in resisting it, the moment can be lost to misfortune.

In one’s self, this is a time to examine motives; those which are of questionable honor should be uprooted and discarded. Be wary of situations that engage your ego and tempt you into anger, self-righteousness, or desire. Actively employ your higher nature to test the correctness of tempting ideas and circumstances; that which seems to be suspicious almost certainly is.

In your conduct with others, practice modesty, independence, and patience with great discipline. Avoid anger or arrogance at all costs; withdraw whenever you cannot meet another in a balanced and independent way. Neither encourage another to forego his balance nor indulge him if he does so. Again, withdraw into stillness if the circumstances indicate the presence of inferior influences. Reticence and self-scrutiny are the order of the day.
 

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 44, Kou / Coming to Meet

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

 

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

 

we are always within it

xie jie

There is something bright and clear, without falsity, without biases, tranquil and unmoving, possessed of vast consciousness, fundamentally without birth and death and discrimination, without names and forms and words. It engulfs space and covers all of heaven and earth, all of form and sound, and is equipped to function.

If we speak of its essence, it is so vast it embraces everything, so that nothing is outside of it. If we speak about its function, then it goes beyond the abilities of the samadhi of the spiritual powers of the wisdoms numerous as the dusts in the buddha-lands: it is at once hidden and manifest, sovereign and free in all directions, with great spiritual powers. Even great sages cannot get to the end of it.

This one thing is always with each and every person. Whether you move or not, whenever you encounter circumstances and objects, it is always very obvious and clear, clear everywhere, revealed in everything. It is quietly shining in all activities. As an expedient, it is called Mind. It is also called the Path, and the king of the myriad dharmas, and Buddha. Buddha said that whether walking, sitting, or lying down, we are always within it.

 

T’aego

the calm light from the spirit

 

as soon as you seek

sachi cunningham

 

Yongjia said,

“Without leaving where you are,

there is constant clarity.” No words come closer

to the truth than these. If you start seeking, then we

know that you are unable to see. Just cut off any duality

between “wherever you are” and “constant clarity”,

and make yourself peaceful and serene. Avoid

concocting intellectual understanding

and seeking. As soon as you seek,

it is like grasping at

shadows.

 

Yuanwu

zen letters

🪷

 

your own nature is the pure land

tsukioka yoshitoshi

 

The unenlightened person

does not understand his own true nature,

does not realize the Pure Land in his own body,

and thus petitions all over. The enlightened person

never differs no matter where he is. For this reason

the Buddha says, “Wherever I may be I am always

in comfort and bliss…If only your mind is pure,

your own nature is itself the Pure

Land of the West.”

 

Platform Sutra