proper nourishment for self and others

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Give proper nourishment

to yourself and

others.

 
The image of this hexagram is that of an open mouth. It comes to remind us that the nourishment of our bodies and spirits is important and merits our conscientious attention.

The I Ching teaches us that if we wish to gauge someone’s character, we should notice what he nourishes in himself and in others. Those who cultivate inferior behaviors and relationships are inferior people; those who cultivate superior qualities in themselves and others are superior people. This is a test that we should apply to ourselves as well as to others.

What you put into your body is obviously important. Because it determines your fundamental physical well-being, it is wise to be moderate and thoughtful about the food you eat. What you put into your mind is even more significant, and regulating it is a more subtle art. This hexagram gives us three-part advice on that subject.

The first counsel is that we should not feed our minds on desire. When we forego our equanimity and begin to desire something or someone, a host of other inferior influences comes into play: we become ambitious about obtaining the object of our desire; we become fearful that we will not; if we do achieve it our ego is gratified and strengthened and it soon issues another demand for us to meet. A self-reinforcing cycle of negativity is thus created. Therefore it is wise to hold yourself free from desire.

The second counsel is that we begin and continue in a regular practice of meditation. Sitting quietly with our eyes closed for even as little as ten or fifteen minutes a day begins to “clear the waste” out of our hearts and minds, making room for the nourishment of peace and wisdom to enter in. To sit in meditation is tune your ear to the voice of the Sage, and it is the most powerful way of gaining his assistance.

The final counsel is that we observe tranquility in speech, thoughts, and actions. By cultivating calm and equanimity in all that you say, think, and do, you nourish your superior self and that of those around you. One who follows these three counsels now will meet with good fortune.
 

The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 27 / Providing Nourishment

 

Further guidance from the
Wei Wu Wei Ching

 

No teacher

or master is in possession of

your enlightenment. Ultimately only

you can free yourself. Just shed your

delusions like a sweaty shirt and slip into

the stream of zen and tao, empty

minded, quiet hearted, at rest

in the midst of everything

and at peace with all

that occurs.
 

Polish yourself

on your own over and over

until you disappear, and you’ll wake up

right where you are. You’ll see straight

through the snares of the world and

pass freely into complete

realization.

 

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dissolve all ideas into the tao

returning to innocence

 

Good

and bad,  self

and others, life and death:

Why affirm these concepts? Why

deny them? To do either is to exercise

the mind, and the integral being knows

that the manipulations of the mind

are dreams, delusions, and

shadows.

 

Hold

one idea, and 

another competes with it. 

Soon the two will be in conflict

with third, and in time your

life is all chatter and

contradiction.

 

Seek

instead to keep

your mind undivided.

Dissolve all ideas

into the

tao. 

 

Hua hu Ching, Chapter 41

 

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Hexagram 16 ☯️ Yü / Enthusiasm

the path is perfect

 

Proper enthusiasm opens every door.

 

The I Ching

teaches that there are

two kinds of enthusiasm: one that

leads to misfortune, and one that leads to success.

This hexagram comes as a sign that you can

proceed with confidence now if your

enthusiasm is properly

founded.

 

Improper

enthusiasm is fueled

by the desires of the ego.

People often desire recognition,

wealth, power, or freedom from difficulty.

Such desires can become so great that we will do

anything to achieve them. Our energy rises as we wildly

pursue our goal, but this unruly and egotistical

enthusiasm inevitably leads us into incorrect

and imbalanced behavior and

into misfortune.

 

Proper enthusiasm,

on the other hand, is fueled by

a devotion to attaining and expressing

inner balance and inner truth. When your aim

is not to influence others or to satisfy your ego but to

follow the guidance of the Higher Power in all that you do,

you acquire another kind of energy: a balanced and

bottomless eagerness for living in step with

what is right and good. In this there

is true power and true

grace.

 

This hexagram

reminds you that striving out

of your ego now will only push you further

away from your goals. Seek instead to follow proper

principles: keep to what is innocent, correct, and

kind, and the Creative will come to your aid.

The path of truth is always the path

of least resistance.

 

from The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 16, Yü / Enthusiasm

 

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in the search for enlightenment

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In the search

for enlightenment,

there is an ever-present

certainty that there is more to do,

someone else who holds the

secret, another state to

attain.
 

In the

finding of it,

there is the comical

revelation that not one

of those things was

ever true.
 

 

Wei wu Wei Ching, Chapter 55

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how to come into possession of joy

shaun tan

 

True joy is

experienced by those who

are strong within and

gentle without.

 

The hexagram Tui teaches us how to come into possession of joy. In our search for success and happiness we are prone to think that we must take aggressive actions to achieve them. The instruction of the I Ching is just the opposite: only those who practice innocence, acceptance, and detachment inherit true joy in this world.

We often see around us how forcible effort brings about what appears to be progress. Our egos tempt us to believe that these gains are lasting and valuable, but the truth is otherwise. Whatever is won by the desirous, ambitious, demanding manipulations of the ego will soon be lost. Others can always be temporarily browbeaten into doing things our way, but only hearts won by friendliness and sincere goodwill are true over time.

The I Ching teaches us again and again that joy and success cannot be forced or stolen. They are achieved gradually—but steadily—by those who relate correctly to others and to the Higher Power. To relate correctly means to steadfastly practice innocence, detachment, acceptance, modesty, and gentleness. Life is full of shortcuts, but this is the only route that leads to true joy.

The image of the hexagram is that of two lakes joined together to keep from drying up. It is an encouragement to us to join with like-minded friends now in the discussion and contemplation of higher things. If we engage in an ongoing conversation about proper principles with our friends, our relationship to truth is steady and our ego cannot seduce us into the doubt, fear, and anxiety that lead away from joy.

In your heart, be firm in holding to what is good and honest and correct. In your thoughts and actions, be gentle and accepting. Those who persevere on this path will meet with true joy and lasting success.
 

from The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 58, Tui / The Joyous

 

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