your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.
In the world,
something is most highly
honored, and it is not power and position;
something is most highly valued, and it is not gold
and jade; something has the most longevity,
and it is not a lifetime of a
thousand years.
To return your heart to its
original nature is most
highly honored.
translated by John S. Major & Sarah A. Queen
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.
Students,
sit earnestly in zazen,
and you will realize that everything
born in this world is ultimately empty,
including oneself and the original face of existence.
All things indeed emerge out of emptiness. This original
formlessness is “Buddha,” and all other similar terms — Buddha-
nature, Buddhahood, Buddha-mind, Awakened One, Patriarch,
God — are merely different expressions for the same
emptiness. Misunderstand this and you
will end up distracted
for eons.
An influence comes.
Good fortune to those
whose hearts are
correct.
The hexagram Hsien indicates the coming of an influence. This may take the form of a teaching from the Sage, an interaction with another, or a disturbing or pleasing event. In any case, there is good fortune if you meet the influence with proper thoughts and actions.
It is a good time to remember that like attracts like. If one gives expression to higher things, then one is surrounded by higher things. If one indulges in what is inferior, then one can expect to have the company of inferiors. Therefore, it is wise to cling steadily to humility, independence, gentleness, and openness.
With others, keep an open heart, free of desire, condemning no one, enjoying affinities while retaining your equanimity. With the Sage, keep a clear connection. Seek resolutely to serve as a conduit for truth and innocence and goodness.
If the influence is challenging, persevere in correctness. If it is pleasing, also persevere in correctness. Maintaining your devotion to higher things insures success in the coming time.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
Hexagram 31 Influence (Wooing)
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