The wise heathen
have no knowledge; they just
keep their mind continually set on the Way.
There are no big-shot Buddhas in nature,
and ten thousand sutras are distilled
in a single song.
Heaven exists on earth
for those who maintain correct
thoughts and actions.
This hexagram signifies a time similar to spring: there is a strong flow of energy, and harmony and prosperity that is the reward of those who correctly balance their higher and lower natures. It is by remaining aware of our inferior self while insuring that the superior self governs our conduct that we arrive in a state of peace.
See yourself as a young tree now. The ground around you is fertile; sun and water and wind are plentiful. By maintaining your focus on moving upward toward light, clarity, and purity you can reach great heights. If you become entangled in inferior things, you will not enjoy the full benefit of this gracious hour. Stay balanced, innocent, and correct, and good fortune is assured.
The I Ching, or Book of Changes
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When bodhisattvas who live a householder’s life cultivate the practices of home-leavers, it is like a lotus blooming in fire. It will always be hard to tame the will for fame and rank and power and position, not to mention all the myriad starting points of vexation and turmoil associated with the burning house of worldly existence. The only way is for you yourself to realize your fundamental, real, wondrous wholeness and reach the stage of great calm and stability and rest.
It would be best if you managed to cast off everything and be empty and ordinary. Thoroughly experience the absence of conditioned mind, and observe that all phenomena are like dreams and magical illusions. Be empty all the way through, and continue on clearing out your mind according to the time and the situation. Then you will have the same correct foundation as all the great enlightened laymen in buddhist tradition.
According to your own measure of power, you will transform those not yet enlightened so you can enter together into the uncontrived, uncluttered ocean of true nature. Then your life here on this earth will not be a loss.
Consistent
correctness turns every
situation to your advantage.
The image of this hexagram is that of a gentle wind dispersing storm clouds. A wind that changes direction often, even a very powerful one, will disperse nothing—it only stirs up the sky. The wind that causes real change is the one that blows consistently in the same direction. There is an important lesson for us in this example.
When faced with a difficult problem to resolve or a goal we wish to achieve, we often are tempted to take striking and energetic actions. Though it is possible to achieve temporary results in this fashion, they tend to collapse when we cannot sustain the vigorous effort. More enduring accomplishments are won through gentle but ceaseless penetration, like that of a soft wind blowing steadily in the same direction. The truth of the Sage penetrates to us in this way, and this hexagram comes now to remind you that this is how you should seek to penetrate others.
The advice given to you by the I Ching is threefold. First, establish a clear goal; the wind that continually changes direction has no real effect. Second, apply the principle of gentle penetration to yourself; by eliminating your own inferior qualities you earn an influence over others. Third, avoid aggressive or ambitious maneuvers now; these are rooted in desire and fear and will only serve to block the aid of the Creative. The desirable influence is the one that flows naturally from maintaining a proper attitude.
In your interactions with others, bend like the willow. By remaining adaptable, balanced, accepting, and independent, and by steadily moving in a single direction, you gain the clarity and strength that make possible a series of great successes.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
Hexagram 57, Sun / The Gentle (The Penetrating Wind)
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Although a human
activity may have a number of
complicated motives, some of which are
base and gross, it is the aspiration towards
divinity, the desire towards beauty,
which is its soul, its life,
and its reality.