Heartbreak
asks us not to look for
an alternative path, because there
is no alternative path. It is an introduction
to what we love and have loved, an inescapable
and often beautiful question, something
and someone that has been with
us all along, asking us to be
ready for the ultimate
letting go.
The Creative acts
to empty what is full and
to offer abundance to
what is modest.
This hexagram suggests that a deepening of one’s modesty now is a sure means of improving the situation. There is no power so great as modesty for compelling the assistance of the Sage – nor one so hindering as immodesty. Those in high places who retain their modesty are loved by all and continually prosper; those below who cultivate modesty inevitably rise on the strength of their merits, without making enemies along the way.
But what does modesty mean? Certainly it entails a refusal to boast or act imperiously with others, even in small ways. But beyond this steadfast humility it also means that our effort to discern what is right and then do it is constant; we do not work against ourselves, and we do not indulge in doubts about the wisdom of correct conduct. This unwavering commitment to what is correct might be called “the modesty before the Sage”.
So there is in modesty a component of nonaction – that is, not indulging in arrogant, ego-centered behavior – as well as a component of active effort: looking for opportunities to correct ourselves, to assist justice where there is injustice, to feed where there is hunger, to give solace where there is pain.
Finally and most plainly, modesty means holding to innocence, sincerity, and openness in every situation. To do this is to empty ourself and make room for the blessings of the Creative to take root.
The I Ching, or Book of Changes
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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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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 a third, and in time your
life is all chatter and
contradiction.
Seek
instead to keep
your mind undivided.
Dissolve all ideas
into the
tao.
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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
ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,
Hua hu Ching, and Art of War for
You
can now buy
the I Ching as part of a
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for iPhone or iPad for less than
the cost of one hardcover
book.