Every moment,
leave the Way to the Way
in order to express
the Way.
see also: i ching hexagram 20, kuan / contemplation
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Lasting progress is won
through quiet self-discipline.
This hexagram outlines the foundation of proper conduct within ourselves, with those with whom we may have conflicts, and within the larger society. It serves to remind us that no genuine gains can be made unless we are rooted firmly in the principles of the Sage.
An image often associated with this hexagram is that of treading on the tail of a tiger. The “tiger” may be some strong or malevolent force in your own personality, or it may be a particularly volatile individual or situation with which you have to deal. In either case the advice of the I Ching is the same: one avoids the bite of a tiger by treading carefully. To tread carefully means that we remain steadfastly innocent and conscientious in our thoughts and actions.
It is inevitable that people will display varying levels of spiritual understanding. It is not our duty to condemn or correct others, but simply to go on developing ourselves. Do not imagine that you can hasten your progress through aggressive actions now. Power that is sought and wielded pridefully has a way of evaporating when you need it most, thus exacerbating your difficulties. The only lasting influence is that which arises naturally from a course of steady development.
In the end, it is our inner worth that determines the outer conditions of our lives. Those who resolve to persevere in humility, sincerity, and gentleness can tread anywhere – even on the tail of a tiger – and meet with success.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
Further guidance from the
Wei Wu Wei Ching
By seeing
all the way through
things we are able to perceive
the perfection of existence. The
foreground of mind is noisy chatter,
but by simply watching that with
discipline and perseverance, we
see it quiet. In its place arises
a vast, silent, illuminated
emptiness.
So also with life.
The foreground is rife
with suffering and difficulty,
but by doing non-doing and
quietly observing, we
become aware of
its purity.
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You must realize
that what is at stake here
does not reside in words and phrases:
it is like sparks from struck flint, like the brilliance
of flashing lightning. However you mange to deal
with this, you cannot get around losing
your body and life.
Bodhidharma taught:
There are many roads for entering the Path,
but in essence they do not go beyond two kinds: one is
entering through inner truth, and the other is
entering through
practice.
Entering through inner truth
means using the Teachings to awaken to the source.
It means deep belief that living beings both ordinary and
sage share one and the same reality-nature; it is just
because of the false covering of alien dust
that it is not manifested.
If you abandon the false and return to the real,
concentrate your attention and gaze like a wall, then there
is no self and others, and ordinary and sage are equal. Firmly abiding
and unmov-ing, you no longer fall into the verbal teachings. This is
tacit accord with the real inner truth: without discrimination,
it is still and nameless. This is called “entering
through inner truth.”
Entering through practice
refers to the Four Practices — all other practices
are contained within these. What are the Four Practices?
First, the practice of repaying wrongs. Second, the practice of
going along with the causal nexus. Third, the practice of
not seeking anything. Fourth, the practice of
according with the Dharma.
What is the practice of repaying wrongs?
When receiving suffering, a practitioner who cultivates
the Path should think to himself: “During countless ages past I
have abandoned the root and pursued the branches, flowing into the
various states of being, and giving rise to much rancor and hatred —
the transgression, the harm done, has been limitless. Though I do
not transgress now, this suffering is a disaster left over
from former lives — the results of evil deeds have
ripened. This suffering is not something
given by gods or humans.”
You should willingly endure the suffering
without anger or complaint. The sutra says: “Encountering
suffering, one is not concerned. Why? Because one is conscious of the
basic root.” When this attitude toward suffering is born, you are in
accord with inner truth, and even as you experience wrongs,
you advance on the Path. Thus it is called
“the practice of repaying wrongs.”
Second is the practice
of going along with the causal nexus.
Sentient beings have no selves, but are trans formed
in a manner causally linked to their deeds. They receive both
suffering and happiness — both are born from causal conditions.
If we get good rewards, glory and fame and the like, this is brought
about by past causes. We receive them now, but when the causal nexus
is ended, they will not be there — how can we rejoice? Gain and loss
follow the causal nexus: Mind is neither augmented nor
diminished. If the wind of joy at gain and sorrow at
loss does not stir, you deeply accord with the
Path. Thus it is called “the practice
of going along with the
causal nexus.”
Third, the practice of not seeking anything.
Worldly people are always deluded, craving everything,
becoming attached everywhere. This is called “seeking.” The wise
awaken to the real. Using inner truth, they reach the conventional
world. Pacifying mind without contrived activity, changing
shape as they go, the myriad states of being are thereby
emptied, and there is nothing wished
for to take joy in.
Along with this, the darkness
of “meritorious deeds” contrived based
on dualistic views is forever banished. Dwell for long
in the triple world?— it is like a house on fire. All who have bodies
suffer — who can find peace? When this is completely comprehended,
thoughts of the various states of being cease and there is no seeking.
The sutra says: “All who seek, suffer. If there is no seeking,
only then is there bliss.” Thus we know that not seeking
anything is truly
a practice of the Path.
Fourth, the practice of according
with the Dharma. The Dharma, the Teaching of Reality,
is based on the inner truth of the inherent purity of all things’
true identity. By this inner truth the multitude of forms are all empty:
there is no defilement, no attachment, no this, no that. The sutra
says: “The Dharma has no sentient beings, because it is
detached from the impurity of sen tient beings.
The Dharma has no self, because it is
de tached from the impurity
of self.”
If the wise can believe
and understand with certainty this inner truth,
they ought to practice in accord with the Dharma. The body
of the Dharma is not stingy with the physical body and life. This is
practicing giving: let there be no stinginess or holding back in the heart.
Realizing that the one receiving the gift, the giver, and the gift itself
are all empty, you don’t depend on them or get attached to them.
They are just used to get rid of impurities, and embrace
and transform sentient beings, without
grasping
at forms.
This is benefiting oneself
and also being able to benefit others,
and being able to adorn the Path of Enlightenment.
Since the perfection of giving is thus, so are the other five
(the perfection of morality, patient endurance, energetic progress,
meditation, and wisdom). To practice the six perfections to
remove false thinking, and yet to have nothing that
is practiced — this is the practice of
according with the Dharma.
Records of the Teachers and Students of the Lanka
