Posts Tagged → tao te ching

meet difficulty with gentleness

jr-art

 

Through

openness and gentleness 

the correct solution is

reached.

 
Arriving at the correct solution to a difficult situation requires a receptivity to inner truth. Unless we are willing to put aside the strong emotions of our egos and devote ourselves to discovering what is right, there can be no hope of progress at this time. Help only comes when we invite it with a sincere and innocent attitude.

The I Ching teaches a simple but effective method of influencing difficult people and arduous situations. It advises us first to lay aside our prejudices – our feelings of being wounded, angry, or in the right – and second to seek to understand the positions of others and the lesson that the Sage is teaching us with the situation. Even when another is truly out of line, it is only be accepting this and remaining balanced that you make it possible for positive change to occur. Gentleness and understanding create in others an unconscious willingness to be led.

The superior person therefore avoids the use of anger and force in trying times, knowing that they only prolong conflict. It is far wiser to accept that each experience we have is necessary for us to learn something about ourselves and about the higher laws of life. The greatest openings come when we meet difficulty with acceptance, gentleness, and a desire to understand the lesson underneath.
 

from The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 61 / Chung Fu (Inner Truth)

 

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transcend all phenomena


 

Arousal,

opinion, excitement,

anger — so easy to spark,

so impossible to govern. Prefer

instead to be impartial, unattached,

empty, silent, still. Staying right

at home, you can transcend

all phenomena and enjoy

complete peace.

 

Wei wu Wei Ching, Chapter 41

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we are all strangers in a strange land

jan l. waldron
 

 

We are all

wanderers in the Unknown. 

Those who travel beside the Sage 

are protected from

harm.

 
A person who travels as a stranger in a strange land is wise to display an attitude free of arrogance and belligerence. Otherwise he is liable to meet with trouble and find himself unable to survive it. With this hexagram the I Ching reminds us that we are all strangers in a strange land, wanderers in a vast and unknowable universe, obliged to act accordingly.

Think of how you would proceed if traveling alone in an unfamiliar country. You would be cautious and reserved, taking great care not to fall in with the wrong people or enter into dangerous places. You would be tolerant of others and generous toward them if a dispute arose, and you would be inclined to settle disagreements quickly to keep them from getting out of hand. You would rely on your attentiveness, your modest attitude, and your gentle manner to keep you out of harm’s way. The hexagram Lu comes to remind you that it is wise to travel through your entire life in this fashion.

Seek now to stay in quiet harmony with the Higher Power and to embody caution, modesty, and generosity in your actions. Do not drag out disagreements with others; conflict is a poison that grows more dangerous every minute you are in it. Do not depart from the path of humility and correct conduct; in doing so, you lose the protection of the Deity and risk misfortune. By continually seeking to serve the innocent and the good, you stay in step with the Sage and never wander alone in the world.
 

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 56, Lü / The Wanderer

 

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exercise your higher nature

this is how you do it

 
Do not turn your back

when you are needed. The superior

person exercises his higher nature now,

saving not only himself but

others around him.

 

sixth changing line

Hexagram 39, Chien / Obstruction

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

 

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all good comes when we are innocent

kirvan baldassari

 

In the

very center of each

of us there dwells an innocent

and divine spirit. If we allow ourselves to

be guided by it in every situation, we can never

go wrong. Wu Wang comes to remind us that

we must actively disengage our egos

before we can obtain the vast

rewards that come from

living in a state of

innocence.

 

The nature

of the ego is that when

we exercise it, it takes us out

of the present. When we engage in

ambitions, anxieties, or anticipations,

our ego is skipping ahead, and we miss the

guidance of the Creative in the present moment.

When we engage in anger, judgment, and condemnation —

whether toward ourselves or others — our ego is looking

backward, and we cannot see the Sage’s clear solution

to the present situation. In either case, the result is

misfortune. Only by stilling the ego and accepting

life in its entirety can we become innocent.

In this state we are receptive to the

help of the Higher Power and

can meet with good fortune

wherever we go.

 

You are

advised now to stop

looking forward and backward,

to abandon your ambitions, to disengage

from judgments and critical thinking. If a thought,

attitude, or action is not in accord with the principles of

acceptance, equanimity, humility, and gentleness,

do not indulge in it. The I Ching encourages you

to actively practice innocence. Because

the  ego is strong, you must make a

conscious and conscientious

effort to be innocent.

 

If you

willfully unstructure

your attitude, open your heart

to the Deity, and allow yourself to be

guided by that which is innocent

and pure, you will meet with

success in the coming

time.

 

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 25, Wu Wang / Innocence (The Unexpected)

 

FIRST LINE
One who remains detached
and innocent no matter what is
assured of good fortune now.

FOURTH LINE
Do not be swayed or
persuaded by others. Stick to what
youknow to be innocent
and correct.

ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,

Hua hu Ching, and Art of War for

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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