the master is good at saving people

joan radcliffe walker was

and so was bud walker

 

A

good runner

leaves no tracks; 

a good speaker makes no slips; 

a good planner doesn’t have to scheme. 

The best lock has no bolt, and no

one can open it. The best knot

uses no rope, and no

one can untie

it. 

 

Thus

the master is always

good at saving people, and

doesn’t abandon anyone; always good

at conserving things, and doesn’t

waste anything. This is known

as “Following the

light.” 

 

What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher? 

What is a bad man but a good man’s charge? 

 

It

doesn’t matter how

smart you are if you don’t

have the sense to honor your teachers 

and cherish your responsibilities. 

This is an essential

teaching of

tao. 

 

The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu,

Chapter 27

 

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hexagram 45 ☯️ gathering together

purified

 

To lead others toward

the good, one must purify

one’s own character.

 
The I Ching teaches that the world cannot move toward harmony and well-being unless human beings act in unison to further what is good and true. Our power as individuals is multiplied when we gather together as families, groups, and communities with common goals. It is our collective strength that makes positive change possible in the world. However, the tremendous power of human collectives must be directed by a qualified leader. The hexagram Ts’ui encourages you to develop your character into that of a leader.

Before a person may gather others together to achieve good, he must first gather together within himself proper principles. A leader who is not balanced and collected within himself will always be suspected by his followers, and in the hour when he needs them most, they will hesitate. Therefore the first task of the potential leader is to accumulate in his own character all that is good and true and correct.

In a very real sense the progress of the world depends upon your thoughts as an individual now. Concentrate, then, on examining and correcting your thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Improve yourself into the kind of person you yourself would follow wholeheartedly and without hesitation. Learn to accept the natural progress that occurs when you act in harmony with proper principles, and seek no progress at the expense of those principles. Train yourself to avoid misfortunes by anticipating them in advance.

By purifying your character in this way and clinging steadfastly to higher things, you lead yourself and others toward well-being and good fortune.
 

from The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 45 / Ts’ui (Gathering Together)

 

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why prophets were given hardship

this whole universe is the Beloved

 

Soul guides and prophets

have an innate innocence, but they are

subject to the same consequences as everyone.

If a donkey veers off-course, he will be hit with a stick.

If you do wrong, you will be punished. Abu Bakr said

that steadiness is the central virtue. From the

mind’s stability comes right action

which in turn balances the

intelligence.

 

They asked me why

prophets were given hardship.

I said it helps to have clear indications.

And I added silently to myself, Be more

humble like someone help captive.

Bow to the one who

can free you.

 

Bahauddin, father of Rumi

the drowned book

 

hold to the good at every turn

adrienne kammerer

 

Don’t rely on

others to direct your

conduct. Be determined in

holding to the good

at every turn.

 

third changing line

from The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 16, Yü / Enthusiasm

 

☯️

 

Keep yourself simple,

good, guileless, dignified, unpretentious,

devoted to justice, pious, kind, affectionate to others,

and resolute in carrying out your proper tasks. Strive to be and

remain the kind of person philosophy would have you be.

Revere the gods and keep men safe. Life is short.

There’s only one crop to be reaped from your

time on earth, and that is a reverential

disposition and socially

useful actions.

 

Marcus Aurelius

the annotated marcus