Today: “Speak softly.  Adopt a quiet yet penetrating presence.  Shine from within.” – From the I Ching

Words carried aloft /
Intentions Bound with the Earth /
penetrate softly

Speak softly.  Adopt a quiet yet penetrating presence.  Shine from within.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 46 – When the world has the Tao Fast horses are retired to till the soil. When the world lacks the Tao Warhorses give birth on the battlefield

Today: “Life has a message for everyone” – Yogi Bhajan

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See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading from the original text
15 – Fifteen.  Ch’ien / Modesty

The Mountain does not overshadow the Plain surrounding it:
Such modest consideration in a Superior Person creates a channel through which excess flows to the needy.

Success if you carry things through.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The Cosmos is moving toward equilibrium.
Extremes are being tempered, excess is beginning to shift toward the empty.
You can use these moderating influences to strike a balance in the world around you.
Remember, though, that this Leveling will not come about through an arrogant confiscation of excess, but through subtler persuasions.
Modesty and moderation are the keys.

  yin  
  yin above: K’un / The Receptive, Earth
  yin
 
  yang  
  yin below: Kên / Keeping Still, Mountain
  yin

 

This hexagram is made up of the trigrams Kên, Keeping Still, mountain, and K’un. The mountain is the youngest son of the Creative (1), the representative of heaven and earth. It dispenses the blessings of heaven, the clouds and rain that gather round its summit, and thereafter shines forth radiant with heavenly light. This shows what modesty is and how it functions in great and strong men. K’un, the earth, stands above. Lowliness is a quality of the earth: this is the very reason why it appears in this hexagram as exalted, by being placed above the mountain. This shows how modesty functions in lowly, simple people: they are lifted up by it.

THE JUDGEMENT

MODESTY creates success.
The superior man carries things through.

It is the law of heaven to make fullness empty and to make full what is modest; when the sun is at its zenith, it must, according to the law of heaven, turn toward its setting, and at its nadir it rises toward a new dawn. In obedience to the same law, the moon when it is full begins to wane, and when empty of light it waxes again. This heavenly law works itself out in the fates of men also. It is the law of earth to alter the full and to contribute to the modest. High mountains are worn down by the waters, and the valleys are filled up. It is the law of fate to undermine what is full and to prosper the modest. And men also hate fullness and love the modest.
The destinies of men are subject to immutable laws that must fulfil themselves. But man has it in his power to shape his fate, according as his behavior exposes him to the influence of benevolent or of destructive forces. When a man holds a high position and is nevertheless modest, he shines with the light of wisdom; if he is in a lowly position and is modest, he cannot be passed by. Thus the superior man can carry out his work to the end without boasting of what he has achieved.

 

THE IMAGE

Within the earth, a mountain:
The image of MODESTY.
Thus the superior man reduces that which is too much,
And augments that which is too little.
He weighs things and makes them equal.

The wealth of the earth in which a mountain is hidden is not visible to the eye, because the depths are offset by the height of the mountain. Thus high and low complement each other and the result is the plain. Here an effect that it took a long time to achieve, but that in the end seems easy of accomplishment and self-evident, is used as the image of modesty. The superior man does the same thing when he establishes order in the world; he equalises the extremes that are the source of social discontent and thereby creates just and equable conditions.1 2


1. This hexagram offers a number of parallels to the teachings of the Old and the New Testament, e.g., “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” [Matt. 23:12]; “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain” [Isa. 40: 4]; “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” [Jas. 4: 6]. The concept of the Last Judgment in the Parsee religion shows similar features. The Greek notion of the jealousy of the gods might be mentioned in connection with the third of the biblical passages here cited.

2. There are not many hexagrams in the Book of Changes in which all the lines have an exclusive favorable meaning, as in the hexagram of MODESTY. This shows how great a value Chinese wisdom places on this virtue.

 

Today: “Life has a message for everyone” – Yogi Bhajan

SSSYWa“Life has a message for everyone. Life provides an opportunity for everyone. Fortunate are those who avail themselves of it, unfortunate are those who miss it.” Yogi Bhajan

 

Meditation: LA936 980609 Four Stroke Breath to Build Intuition

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 46 – When the world has the Tao Fast horses are retired to till the soil. When the world lacks the Tao Warhorses give birth on the battlefield

Tao Te Ching – Verse 46

When the world has the Tao
Fast horses are retired to till the soil
When the world lacks the Tao
Warhorses give birth on the battlefield

There is no crime greater than greed
No disaster greater than discontentment
No fault greater than avarice
Thus the satisfaction of contentment
is the lasting satisfaction

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
-+-+-+-

When a country is in harmony with the Tao,
the factories make trucks and tractors.
When a country goes counter to the Tao,
warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.
There is no greater illusion than fear,
no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself, no greater misfortune than having an enemy.
Whoever can see through all fear
will always be safe.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)

-+-+-+-

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 46 – When the world has the Tao Fast horses are retired to till the soil. When the world lacks the Tao Warhorses give birth on the battlefield”

Today: “Take care of the minute details.  Neither neglect nor rush things that must come in their own time.  There is no need to worry about what has not yet happened nor regret for past actions.” – From the I Ching

There is a time for /
Everything under the sun /
no worries, regrets

Take care of the minute details.  Neither neglect nor rush things that must come in their own time.  There is no need to worry about what has not yet happened nor regret for past actions.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 45 – True perfection seems imperfect, yet it is perfectly itself

Today: “For anyone who will live up to his word to infinity, this world will become too small.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “For anyone who will live up to his word to infinity, this world will become too small.” Yogi Bhajan

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See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading from the original text
37 – Thirty-Seven.  Chia Jên / Family Duties

Warming Air Currents rise and spread from the Hearthfire:
The Superior Person weighs his words carefully and is consistent in his behavior.

Be as faithful as a good wife.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

One in this situation must be keenly aware of his influence on others.
Maintain a healthy respect for the ripple effect of your words and deeds.
To some you serve as a role model.
You can either help shape their world or tilt them into chaos.
Show temperance and consideration to all.

Six in the second place means:

The neglected wife resists temptation and returns to her family duties.
For her, things will improve.

She should not follow her whims.
She must attend within to the food.
Perseverance brings good fortune.

The milkmaid

‘The milkmaid’ – Johannes Vermeer (1632 – 1675)
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam – Holland

The wife must always be guided by the will of the master of the house, be he father, husband, or grown son. Her place is within the house. There, without having to look for them, she has great and important duties. She must attend to the nourishment of her family and to the food for the sacrifice. In this way she becomes the centre of the social and religious life of the family, and her perseverance in this position brings good fortune to the whole house.
In relation to general conditions, the counsel given here is to seek nothing by means of force, but quietly to confine oneself to the duties at hand.

5 – Five.   Hsü / Calculated Waiting

Deep Waters in the Heavens:
Thunderclouds approaching from the West, but no rain yet.
The Superior Person nourishes himself and remains of good cheer to condition himself for the moment of truth.

Great Success if you sincerely keep to your course.
You may cross to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You must now endure this Dangling — either a carrot before your nose, or a sword above your head.
This strange mix of apprehension and anticipation is a Purgatory.
There is nothing more you can do to affect the outcome.
You must now submit to the Fates.

 

Today: “For anyone who will live up to his word to infinity, this world will become too small.” Yogi Bhajan

“For anyone who will live up to his word to infinity, this world will become too small. It will seem as small as a Ping Pong ball. The whole universe will dance on the word of that man. This is the vibratory effect an individual has, because your end is infinity. Your beginning is infinity. You are only in trouble when you have not realized you are infinity. To realize the infinity in the finite state is the extension of the mind. That is the reality of the mind.” Yogi Bhajan

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 45 – True perfection seems imperfect, yet it is perfectly itself

Tao Te Ching – Verse 45

True perfection seems imperfect,
yet it is perfectly itself.
True fullness seems empty,
yet it is fully present.

True straightness seems crooked.
True wisdom seems foolish.
True art seems artless.

The Master allows things to happen.
She shapes events as they come.
She steps out of the way
and lets the Tao speak for itself. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 45 – True perfection seems imperfect, yet it is perfectly itself”

Today: “Once you discover the treasures that lie within you, you will instantly and completely abandon pleasure seeking and mindless hoarding and consumption.” – From the I Ching

Treasures lie within /
revealing themselves when shared /
revealing yourself

Once you discover the treasures that lie within you, you will instantly and completely abandon pleasure seeking and mindless hoarding and consumption.  

Begin by sharing what you value most.  The delight you witness in the other is infectious, producing an instant emotional resonance within yourself, perhaps small and easily overlooked.  If you doubt, you can test this effect by repeating similar gestures of giving.   Once you realize the source of the gratification within yourself, changes in your own character will begin to happen.

You will see that your treasures lie within yourself.  Your appreciation of them comes not from grasping and possessing,  rather from the gratification generated by the resonance produced in the act of sharing.

You alone have a choice.  You can become increasingly greedy, empty, unfulfilled, resentful, contemptuous, hateful, miserable and profoundly unhappy (like Ebenezer Scrooge).  Or, you can be liberated from all those things once you choose to recognize and begin to share your wealth (like Scrooge’s materially poor yet grateful and generous family, or like the liberated Ebenezer Scrooge himself).

(In case you would like to venture to explore possibly soon-to-be-banned books from public libraries)

 

Tao Te Ching – Verse 44 – Fame or integrity: which is more important?

Today: “The mind can be controlled by two methods. The mind follows breath and breath is the tender charge of God.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “If you can sacrifice your limited ego, you will always get in return an unlimited spirit” Yogi Bhajan

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See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading from the original text
58 – Fifty-Eight.  Tui / Empowering

The joyous Lake spans on and on to the horizon:
The Superior Person renews and expands his Spirit through heart-to-heart exchanges with others.

Success if you stay on course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is the sign of true companionship.
The principals in this situation exchange energy, ideas and feelings, constantly invigorating and encouraging each other to new heights of Spiritual achievement and Self-discovery.
This exchange is not for the glory of the Team, but for furthering the process of each individual’s ‘Te’, or pure potentiality.

Six in the third place means:

Arguing and negotiating to win love and joy.
Self-defeat.
Misfortune.

Coming joyousness. Misfortune.

Romans of the Decadence

‘The Romans of the Decadence’ – Thomas Couture, 1847

True joy must spring from within. But if one is empty within and wholly given over to the world, idle pleasures come streaming in from without. This is what many people welcome as diversion. Those who lack inner stability and therefore need amusement, will always find opportunity of indulgence. They attract external pleasures by the emptiness of their natures. Thus they lose themselves more and more, which of course has bad results.

43 – Forty-Three.  Kuai / Breakthrough

A Deluge from Heaven:
The Superior Person rains fortune upon those in need, then moves on with no thought of the good he does.

The issue must be raised before an impartial authority.
Be sincere and earnest, despite the danger.
Do not try to force the outcome, but seek support where needed.
Set a clear goal.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Your iron will must come to the forefront now.
It will take great personal determination to resolve the situation in question.
Your adversary would love to force you into an angry display.
That would legitimize his opposition to you.
Such a berserker rage would drag you down to his level.
You must resolutely take a public stand against what he represents, but refuse to engage him.
Without compromise, you show others the way to higher ground.

 

Today: “If you can sacrifice your limited ego, you will always get in return an unlimited spirit” Yogi Bhajan

“If you can sacrifice your limited ego, you will always get in return an unlimited spirit; and when you get an unlimited spirit the universe serves you.” Yogi Bhajan

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 44 – Fame or integrity: which is more important?

Tao Te Ching – Verse 44

Fame or integrity: which is more important?
Money or happiness: which is more valuable?
Success or failure: which is more destructive?

If you look to others for fulfillment,
you will never truly be fulfilled.
If your happiness depends on money,
you will never be happy with yourself. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 44 – Fame or integrity: which is more important?”

Today: “Teach trusted assistants skills and show them wisdom to handle ongoing affairs with your gentle supervision. ” – From the I Ching

Delegating tasks /
overseeing decisions /
Allowing free reign

Teach trusted assistants skills and show them wisdom to handle ongoing affairs with your gentle supervision.  

Tao Te Ching – Verse 43 – The gentlest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world.

Today: “The mind can be controlled by two methods. The mind follows breath and breath is the tender charge of God.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “The mind can be controlled by two methods. The mind follows breath and breath is the tender charge of God.” Yogi Bhajan

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See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading from the original text
19 – Nineteen.  Lin / Noble Calling

The rich, loamy Earth on the banks of the Marsh provides fertile soil for exceptional progress.
The Superior Person is inexhaustible in his willingness to teach, and without limit in his tolerance and support of others.

Supreme Success if you keep to your course.
But be aware that your time is limited; your power will wane, as Summer changes to Fall.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are in a position to help another.
This is a temporary situation, because your power is cyclical, seasonal.
Knowing this, you must perform your good deed without hope of reward.
You are not furthering your own process, but another’s.
Though you may cherish this other, you will never possess.
Touch without grasping.
Take comfort in becoming a fond memory.
Nurture, then let go.

Six in the fifth place means:

Your wise approach is worthy of a prince.
Great fortune will result.

Wise approach.
This is right for a great prince.
Good fortune.

Chinese prince

Chinese prince

A prince, or anyone in a leading position, must have the wisdom to attract to himself people of ability who are expert in directing affairs. His wisdom consists both in selecting the right people and in allowing those chosen to have a free hand without interference from him. For only through such self-restraint will he find the experts needed to satisfy all of his requirements.
29 – Twenty-Nine.  K’an / Dangerously Deep

Water follows Water, spilling over any cliff, flowing past all obstacles, no matter the depth or distance, to the Sea.
The Superior Person learns flexibility from the mistakes he has made, and grows strong from the obstacles he has overcome, pressing on to show others the Way.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are facing a crucial trial along your Journey.
The danger of this challenge is very real.
It is a test of your mettle.
If you can maintain your integrity and stay true to your convictions, you will overcome.
That’s not as easy as it seems when you are faced with the sacrifice of other things you’ve come to depend upon or hold dear.

 

Today: “The mind can be controlled by two methods. The mind follows breath and breath is the tender charge of God.” Yogi Bhajan

“The mind can be controlled by two methods. The mind follows breath and breath is the tender charge of God. To control your mind through breath you can definitely still yourself.” Yogi Bhajan

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 43 – The gentlest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 43

The gentlest thing in the world
overcomes the hardest thing in the world.
That which has no substance
enters where there is no space.
This shows the value of non-action.
Teaching without words,
performing without actions:
that is the Master’s way. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 43 – The gentlest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world.”

Today: “Regardless of what one has gained or acquired, it is one’s nature that is on display.  It is easy to see when someone is virtuous or corrupt.  Live as your true self.” – From the I Ching

Be liberated /
elevate others as your /
original self

Regardless of what one has gained or acquired, it is one’s nature that is on display.  It is easy to see when someone is virtuous or corrupt.  Live as your true self.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 42 – The Tao gives birth to One

Today: “My sharing of this yoga is to teach humans the ultimate science of mankind” – Yogi Bhajan

Today: “My sharing of this yoga is to teach humans the ultimate science of mankind” – Yogi Bhajan

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See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading from the original text
40 – Forty.  Hsieh / Liberation

A Thunderous Cloudburst shatters the oppressive humidity:
The Superior Person knows the release in forgiveness, pardoning the faults of others and dealing gently with those who sin against him.

It pays to accept things as they are for now.
If there is nothing else to be gained, a return brings good fortune.
If there is something yet to be gained, act on it at once.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The relief you experience here is not your own personal pardon, but the release of others from your rigid expectations.
Like a hot air balloon, you will rise to new heights as you cast the heavy sandbags of resentments and restrictions away from you.
Feel the lightness of being that results from forgiving others and accepting them as they are.
Free yourself of the endless vigil of policing the behavior of others.
See them for who they are, not what they can or can’t do for you.

Six in the third place means:

The porter carries his burden in a gilded carriage well beyond his means.
This attracts not only the resentment of his peers, but bandits as well.
Injury and humiliation ahead.

If a man carries a burden on his back
And nonetheless rides in a carriage,
He thereby encourages robbers to draw near.
Perseverance leads to humiliation.

Chinese carriage

Chinese carriage

This refers to a man who has come out of needy circumstances into comfort and freedom from want. If now, in the manner of an upstart, he tries to take his ease in comfortable surroundings that do not suit his nature, he thereby attracts robbers. If he goes on thus he is sure to bring disgrace upon himself. Kongfu (Confucius) says about this line:

Carrying a burden on the back is the business of a common man; a carriage is the appurtenance of a man of rank. Now, when a common man uses the appurtenance of man of rank, robbers plot to take it away from him. If a man is insolent toward those above him and hard toward those below him, robbers plot to attack him. Carelessness in guarding things tempts thieves to steal. Sumptuous ornaments worn by a maiden are an enticement to rob her of her virtue.

 

 

 

 

 

‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, circa 1665 – 1667 – Johannes Vermeer
Mauritshuis – The Hague – Holland

32 – Thirty-Two   Hêng / Durability

Arousing Thunder and penetrating Wind.
Close companions in any storm:
The Superior Person possesses a resiliency and durability that lets him remain firmly and faithfully on course.

Such constancy deserves success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Endurance is the key to success in this situation.
However, durability is not synonymous with stone-like rigidity.
True resilience requires a flexibility that allows adaptation to any adverse condition, while still remaining true to the core.
Can you maintain your integrity under any circumstance?
Can you influence the situation without giving opposing forces anything to resist?
Then you will endure to reach your goal.

 

Today: “My sharing of this yoga is to teach humans the ultimate science of mankind” – Yogi Bhajan

SSSYWa“You must understand one thing: I have sacrificed what I could have achieved personally for one game only: to create teachers in the West. My sharing of this yoga is to teach humans the ultimate science of mankind. It is priceless. It is the concentrated essence of thousands of years of humanity. I am here to preserve it in your hearts so that it will be available later on when humanity will need it more badly than you or I can imagine.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 42 – The Tao gives birth to One

Tao Te Ching – Verse 42

The Tao gives birth to One.
One gives birth to Two.
Two gives birth to Three.
Three gives birth to all things.
All things have their backs to the female
and stand facing the male.
When male and female combine,
all things achieve harmony.
Ordinary men hate solitude.
But the Master makes use of it,
embracing his aloneness, realizing
he is one with the whole universe. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 42 – The Tao gives birth to One”

Today: “You have the real power by your inner virtue and subtle connections to all mankind.  Now keep up! ” – From the I Ching

You have the power /
Your virtue and connections /
With all will prevail

You have the real power by your inner virtue and subtle connections to all mankind.  Now keep up!  

Tao Te Ching – Verse 41 – When a superior man hears of the Tao, he immediately begins to embody it

Today: “You must accept that you are you and that your mind is also you.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “You must accept that you are you and that your mind is also you.” Yogi Bhajan

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Previous previous reading: “The difficulties thrust upon you are real, and shared by nearly everyone. The old social structure is damaged. Recognizing the best in yourself and others, come together again as a new unit. Get over your differences and know you will succeed.”

 

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Check out the various healing workshops we have conducted over the years.

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading from the original text
34 – Thirty-Four.  Ta Chuang / Awesome Power

Thunder fills the Heavens with its awful roar, not out of pride, but with integrity; if it did less, it would not be Thunder:
Because of his Great Power, the Superior Person takes pains not to overstep his position, so that he will not seem intimidating or threatening to the Established Order.

Opportunity will arise along this course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The Awesome Power available in this hexagram stems from what the Taoists call your Te, a term not perfectly translated into English.
Roughly, it is your Integrity — not in the Western sense of honor — but more in the psychological definition of a full integration of Who You Are.
This Awesome Power is achieved only by fully embracing both the good and the bad, the strong and the weak, the masculine and the feminine — all polarities within you.
Such self-knowledge spawns a Mastery tempered with the humility necessary to rein in and harness this Awesome Power.

 

  yin  
  yin above: Chên / The Arousing, Thunder
  yang
 
  yang  
  yang below: Ch’ien / The Creative, Heaven
  yang

 

The great lines, that is, the light, strong lines, are powerful. Four light lines have entered the hexagram from below and are about to ascend higher. The upper trigram is Chên, the Arousing; the lower is Ch’ien, the Creative. Ch’ien is strong, Chên produces movement. The union of movement and strength gives the meaning of THE POWER OF THE GREAT. The hexagram is linked with the second month (March-April).

THE JUDGEMENT

THE POWER OF THE GREAT. Perseverance furthers.

The hexagram points to a time when inner worth mounts with great force and comes to power. But its strength has already passed beyond the median line, hence there is danger that one may rely entirely on one’s own power and forget to ask what is right. There is danger too that, being intent on movement, we may not wait for the right time. Therefore the added statement that perseverance furthers. For that is truly great power which does not degenerate into mere force but remains inwardly united with the fundamental principles of right and of justice. When we understand this point – namely, that greatness and justice must be indissolubly united – we understand the true meaning of all that happens in heaven and on earth.

The Tao of Power:
Lao Tzu’s Classic Guide to Leadership, Influence, and Excellence [A new translation of the Tao Te Ching] by R.L. Wing

 

Moon in thunder sky

THE IMAGE

Thunder in heaven above:
The image of THE POWER OF THE GREAT.
Thus the superior man does not tread on paths
That do not accord with established order.

Thunder – electrical energy – mounts upward in the spring. The direction of this movement is in harmony with that of the movement of heaven. It is therefore a movement in accord with heaven, producing great power. However, true greatness depends on being in harmony with what is right. Therefore in times of great power the superior man avoids doing anything that is not in harmony with the established order.