Tao Te Ching – Verse 19 – Throw away holiness and wisdom, and people will be a hundred times happier.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 19

Throw away holiness and wisdom,
and people will be a hundred times happier.
Throw away morality and justice,
and people will do the right thing.
Throw away industry and profit,
and there won’t be any thieves.

If these three aren’t enough,
just stay at the center of the circle
and let all things take their course. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 19 – Throw away holiness and wisdom, and people will be a hundred times happier.”

Today: “Friends and allies are won by sincerity, not coercion. Even so don’t overdo it.  Keep your dignity in humility.” – From the I Ching

Friends and allies are won by sincerity, not coercion. Even so don’t overdo it.  Keep your dignity in humility.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 18 – When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness and piety appear. 

Today: “Life is a game, but we do not want to play unattached. We want to play for the sake of winning and losing, and that is where unhappiness comes in.” Yogi Bhajan 

Today: “Life is a game, but we do not want to play unattached. We want to play for the sake of winning and losing, and that is where unhappiness comes in.” Yogi Bhajan

Previous reading: “You can accomplish anything you choose. The time is with you. Just be careful not to act prematurely before the time is ripe for your endeavor.”

Previous previous reading: “Prioritize with respect to importance. Make good choices. Forgo the lure of shiny objects. Renounce compulsive behavior. ”

Today: “Prioritize with respect to importance.  Make good choices.  Forgo the lure of shiny objects.  Renounce compulsive behavior. ” – From the I Ching

 

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See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading from the original text
14 – Fourteen.  Ta Yu / Great Treasures

The Fire of clarity illuminates the Heavens to those below:
The Superior Person possesses great inner treasures — compassion, economy, and modesty.
These treasures allow the benevolent will of Heaven to flow through him outward to curb evil and to further good.

Supreme success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You have become an instrument of Heaven’s will, offering a balance in the world around you.
It is not swashbuckling prowess or uncanny talent that qualifies you for this office, but your simplest gifts — your modesty, your compassion, your economy.
Because you can see clearly who most needs a miracle, Heaven’s bounty is being put at your disposal.

Six in the fifth place means:

His sincerity attracts and inspires others whom gold could not

He whose truth is accessible, yet dignified,
Has good fortune.

Ven. Ananda

Ven. Ananda in the first Buddhist Council

The situation is very favorable. People are being won not by coercion but by unaffected sincerity, so that they are attached to us in sincerity and truth. However, benevolence alone is not sufficient at the time of POSSESSION IN GREAT MEASURE. For insolence might begin to spread. Insolence must be kept in bounds by dignity; then good fortune is assured.
9 – Nine.  Hsiao Ch’u / Gentle Restraint

Winds of change high in the Heavens:
Air currents carry the weather.
Dense clouds blow in from the West, but still no rain.
The Superior Person fine tunes the image he presents to the world.

Small successes.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

No matter what you do, the fruit of your labors never seems to ripen.
Your reward remains just out of reach.
Men have gone mad from such anticipation.
Don’t lose your balance lunging for the brass ring.
While the Fates continue to restrain you, go them one better and display a self-generated restraint and grace.
Look for the humor in the situation.

 

Tao Te Ching – Verse 18 – When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness and piety appear.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 18

When the great Tao is forgotten,
goodness and piety appear.
When the body’s intelligence declines,
cleverness and knowledge step forth.
When there is no peace in the family,
filial piety begins.
When the country falls into chaos,
patriotism is born.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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The great Tao fades away
There is benevolence and justice
Intelligence comes forth
There is great deception

The six relations are not harmonious
There is filial piety and kind affection
The country is in confused chaos
There are loyal ministers

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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There is no Code of Ethics,
And there never was.
There is no kindness; no morality.
There is no genius.
Loyal sons and dutiful workers
Are unreal.
Stop.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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from I Ching Online

 

Today: “You can accomplish anything you choose.  The time is with you.  Just be careful not to act prematurely before the time is ripe for your endeavor.” – From the I Ching

Anything you choose /
Whenever the time is right /
act decisively

You can accomplish anything you choose.  The time is with you.  Just be careful not to act prematurely before the time is ripe for your endeavor.  Know when it is time to act.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 17 – When the Master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists. Next best is a leader who is loved. Next, one who is feared. The worst is one who is despised. 

Today: “Who am I and what do I know? These are questions that man has to ask himself.” Yogi Bhajan 

Today: “Who am I and what do I know? These are questions that man has to ask himself.” Yogi Bhajan

Previous reading: “Prioritize with respect to importance. Make good choices. Forgo the lure of shiny objects. Renounce compulsive behavior. ”

Today: “Prioritize with respect to importance.  Make good choices.  Forgo the lure of shiny objects.  Renounce compulsive behavior. ” – From the I Ching

Previous previous reading: “He idolizes the strongman, slavishly imitating the despot’s corrupt practices for material gain. This situation has come about merely through apathy and indifference to decay. It can be fixed simply by recognizing the problem with new awareness, a fresh perspective.”

Today: “He idolizes the strongman, slavishly imitating the despot’s corrupt practices for material gain.  This situation has come about merely through apathy and indifference to decay.   It can be fixed simply by recognizing the problem with new awareness, a fresh perspective.” – From the I Ching

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See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading from the original text
1 – One   Ch’ien / Creative Activity

Heaven above and Heaven below:
Heaven in constant motion.
With the strength of the dragon, the Superior Person steels himself for ceaseless activity.

Productive Activity.
Potent Influence.
Sublime Success if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The time for action has come.
You now have the focus and the stamina necessary for accomplishing great tasks.
The path before you is being cleared and reward lies ahead.

Nine at the beginning [yang at bottom] means:

Hidden dragon. Do not act.

 

 

 
San Francisco Chinatown

 

 

‘San Francisco Chinatown’ – Fred Eng

IN CHINA the dragon has a meaning altogether different from that given it in the Western world. The dragon is a symbol of the electrically charged, dynamic, arousing force that manifests itself in the thunderstorm. In winter this energy withdraws into the earth; in the early summer it becomes active again, appearing in the sky as thunder and lightning. As a result the creative forces on earth begin to stir again. Here this creative force is still hidden beneath the earth and therefore has no effect. In terms of human affairs, this symbolises a great man who is still unrecognized. Nonetheless he remains true to himself. He does not allow himself to be influenced by outward success or failure, but confident in his strength, he bides his time. Hence it is wise for the man who consults the oracle and draws this line to wait in the calm strength of patience. The time will fulfil itself. One need not fear lest strong will should not prevail; the main thing is not to expend one’s powers prematurely in an attempt to obtain by force something for which the time is not yet ripe.
44 – Forty-Four   Kou / Compulsion

A playful Zephyr dances and delights beneath indulgent Heaven:
A Prince who shouts orders but will not walk among his people may as well try to command the four winds.

A strong, addictive temptation, much more dangerous than it seems.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are ignoring a clear and present danger to your well-being.
If this threat emanated from a heavy-handed oppressor, you would see it coming.
But this danger comes to you in the form of a seduction, an amusement, a diversion, an indulgence that is eating away at the fiber of your secure little world.
You are too cocksure.
You underestimate the tribute this dalliance will demand.

 

Tao Te Ching – Verse 17 – When the Master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists. Next best is a leader who is loved. Next, one who is feared. The worst is one who is despised.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 17

When the Master governs, the people
are hardly aware that he exists.
Next best is a leader who is loved.
Next, one who is feared.
The worst is one who is despised.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 17 – When the Master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists. Next best is a leader who is loved. Next, one who is feared. The worst is one who is despised.”

Today: “Prioritize with respect to importance.  Make good choices.  Forgo the lure of shiny objects.  Renounce compulsive behavior. ” – From the I Ching

 

Prioritize with respect to importance.  Make good choices.  Forgo the lure of shiny objects.  Renounce compulsive behavior.  

Tao Te Ching – Verse 16 – Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace. Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return. 

Today: “All sickness, all shallowness, all unhappiness, all pain, all miseries are the outcome of one source; keeping negativity within yourself.” Yogi Bhajan 

Today: “All sickness, all shallowness, all unhappiness, all pain, all miseries are the outcome of one source; keeping negativity within yourself.” Yogi Bhajan

Previous reading: “He idolizes the strongman, slavishly imitating the despot’s corrupt practices for material gain. This situation has come about merely through apathy and indifference to decay. It can be fixed simply by recognizing the problem with new awareness, a fresh perspective.”

Today: “He idolizes the strongman, slavishly imitating the despot’s corrupt practices for material gain.  This situation has come about merely through apathy and indifference to decay.   It can be fixed simply by recognizing the problem with new awareness, a fresh perspective.” – From the I Ching

Previous previous reading: “What is prayer? You create a vibratory effect which goes into the Infinite Creative around the psyche of you.”

Today: “What is prayer? You create a vibratory effect which goes into the Infinite Creative around the psyche of you.” Yogi Bhajan

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31 – Thirty-One.  Hsien / Attraction

The joyous Lake is cradled by the tranquil Mountain:
The Superior Person takes great satisfaction in encouraging others along their journey.
He draws them to him with his welcoming nature and genuine interest.

Supreme success.
This course leads to marriage.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is no greater natural law in the Cosmos than Attraction.
From the magnetic pull of an atom’s nucleus to the centripetal force that spirals a galaxy, the face of the universe is shaped by Attraction.
On a human scale, it is Attraction that fuels procreation and furthers our species.
Yet it is also Attraction that spawns greed and covetousness, threatening our extinction.
Attraction is the underlying force of the situation in question.
You are refined or debased by the objects of your desire.
What gravitational pull are you now under?
Around what sphere of influence do you circle?
Can you use your own ability to attract?

Six at the top means:

A wagging tongue and working jaws.
All sound and fury signifying nothing.

The influence shows itself in the jaws, cheeks, and tongue.

Empty speech

The most superficial way of trying to influence others is through talk that has nothing real behind it. The influence produced by such mere tongue wagging must necessarily remain insignificant. Hence no indication is added regarding good or bad fortune.
56 – Fifty-Six.  Lu / The Wanderer

Fire on the Mountain, catastrophic to man, a passing annoyance to the Mountain:
The Superior Person waits for wisdom and clarity before exacting Justice, then lets no protest sway him.

Find satisfaction in small gains.
To move constantly forward is good fortune to a Wanderer.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are a stranger to this situation.
It is your attraction to the exotic that has led you here, but you will move on to a new vista when this one has lost its mystique.
Because much of this environment is foreign to you, you must exercise only the best judgement.
You don’t know the custom here, and it’s too easy to cross a line you don’t know is there.
Because you are the foreigner in this setting, you have no history to acquit you.
Watch, listen, study, contemplate, then step lightly but decisively on.

 

Tao Te Ching – Verse 16 – Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace. Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 16

Empty your mind of all thoughts.
Let your heart be at peace.
Watch the turmoil of beings,
but contemplate their return.

Each separate being in the universe
returns to the common source.
Returning to the source is serenity.
Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 16 – Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace. Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return.”

Today: “He idolizes the strongman, slavishly imitating the despot’s corrupt practices for material gain.  This situation has come about merely through apathy and indifference to decay.   It can be fixed simply by recognizing the problem with new awareness, a fresh perspective.” – From the I Ching

He idolizes the strongman, slavishly imitating the despot’s corrupt practices for material gain.  This situation has come about merely through apathy and indifference to decay.   It can be fixed simply by recognizing the problem with new awareness, a fresh perspective.
This is a time of recovery, renewal, regeneration.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 15 – The ancient Masters were profound and subtle 

Today: “The greatest tragedy is that everybody says that he can give you the secret to happiness. This is the biggest lie on this planet.” Yogi Bhajan 

Today: “The greatest tragedy is that everybody says that he can give you the secret to happiness. This is the biggest lie on this planet.” Yogi Bhajan

Previous reading: “What is prayer? You create a vibratory effect which goes into the Infinite Creative around the psyche of you.”

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4 – Four.   Mêng / Inexperience

A fresh Spring at the foot of the Mountain:
The Superior Person refines his character by being thorough in every activity.
The Sage does not recruit students; the students seek him.
He asks nothing but a sincere desire to learn.
If the student doubts or challenges his authority, the Sage regretfully cuts his losses.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a time of interchange between a mentor and pupil.
Whether you are the teacher or the student, it is a time of companionship along a mutual path.
This hexagram also emphasizes the eternal, cyclical nature of the mentor/student relationship — a mentor is merely a more seasoned pupil, further along on the journey.
A pupil holds within himself the seed of a future Master.

Six in the third place means:

No one respects a lovestruck woman who throws herself at the object of her desire.
Do not idolize.

Take not a maiden who, when she sees a man of bronze,
Loses possession of herself.
Nothing furthers.

Chinese strong man

Chinese strong man

A weak, inexperienced man, struggling to rise, easily loses his own individuality when he slavishly imitates a strong personality of higher station. He is like a girl throwing herself away when she meets a strong man. Such a servile approach should not be encouraged, because it is bad both for the youth and the teacher. A girl owes it to her dignity to wait till she is wooed. In both cases it is undignified to offer oneself, and no good comes of accepting such an offer.

18 – Eighteen.  Ku / Repairing the Damage

Winds sweep through the Mountain valley:
The Superior Person sweeps away corruption and stagnation by stirring up the people and strengthening their spirit.

Supreme success.
Before crossing to the far shore, consider the move for three days.
After crossing, devote three days of hard labor to damage control.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are blessed with an opportunity to resuscitate that which others have abandoned as beyond repair.
This ruin wasn’t caused by evil intention, but by indifference to decay.
Just by addressing yourself to the problem, you exhibit a new awareness, a fresh perspective.
This is a time of recovery, renewal, regeneration.

 

Tao Te Ching – Verse 15 – The ancient Masters were profound and subtle

Tao Te Ching – Verse 15

The ancient Masters were profound and subtle.
Their wisdom was unfathomable.
There is no way to describe it;
all we can describe is their appearance.
Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 15 – The ancient Masters were profound and subtle”

Today: “Accomplish your intentions with a steady stride.  Include all views and consider all aspects without rushing to completion.” – From the I Ching

Accomplish your intentions with a steady stride.  Include all views and consider all aspects without rushing to completion.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 14 – Look, and it can’t be seen. Listen, and it can’t be heard. Reach, and it can’t be grasped. 

Today: “You don’t want somebody to hate you; you want all to love you. Actually, love is a hatred and hatred is a love; there is no difference.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “You don’t want somebody to hate you; you want all to love you. Actually, love is a hatred and hatred is a love; there is no difference.” Yogi Bhajan

Previous reading: “Share what you are drawn to so that others, regardless of position, may have a transcendent experience.”

Today: “Share what you are drawn to so that others, regardless of position, may have a transcendent experience. ” – From the I Ching

Previous previous reading: “What is prayer? You create a vibratory effect which goes into the Infinite Creative around the psyche of you.”

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64 – Sixty-Four.  Wei Chi / The End In Sight

Fire ascends above the Water:
The Superior Person examines the nature of things and keeps each in its proper place.

Too anxious the young fox gets his tail wet, just as he completes his crossing.
To attain success, be like the man and not like the fox.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Resist the rush to completion.
Anticipation of fulfillment may cause you to be careless before you have fully absorbed the lessons of the journey.
The endpoint of this Quest will only prove to be the threshold for another.
You are short steps from Mastery on this plane, yet you stride toward Ignorance of the challenges lying beyond.
Savor this accomplishment.
Fully Become.
Take full possession of your world before embarking to discover the next one.
That voyage begins soon enough, and you will reminisce about this one.
These are the Good Old Days.

Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:

Careless so near to shore, the fox gets his tail wet.
Humiliation.

He gets his tail in the water.
Humiliating.

Female blackbird taking bath

Female blackbird taking bath – Landsmeer Holland 2010
photo Lex van den Bos

In times of disorder there is a temptation to advance oneself as rapidly as possible in order to accomplish something tangible. But this enthusiasm leads only to failure and humiliation if the time for achievement has not yet arrived. In such time it is wise to spare ourselves the opprobrium of failure by holding back.1

1. Note how this situation differs from that in the first line of the preceding hexagram 63.
There the tail gets wet as well, but after completion.

38 – Thirty-Eight.  K’uei / Estrangement

Fire distances itself from its nemesis, the Lake:
No matter how large or diverse the group, the Superior Person remains uniquely himself.

Small accomplishments are possible.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are working at cross-purposes with another.
The distance between you is very wide.
The gap can be closed, however, with no compromise of your integrity.
You are not adversaries in this case — just two persons addressing individual needs.
Ask yourself: are these needs mutually exclusive?
Is there common ground here?
Must there be one winner and one loser?
Could you become partners in seeking a solution that would allow for two winners?

 

Tao Te Ching – Verse 14 – Look, and it can’t be seen. Listen, and it can’t be heard. Reach, and it can’t be grasped.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 14

Look, and it can’t be seen.
Listen, and it can’t be heard.
Reach, and it can’t be grasped.

Above, it isn’t bright.
Below, it isn’t dark.
Seamless, unnamable,
it returns to the realm of nothing.
Form that includes all forms,
image without an image,
subtle, beyond all conception.

Approach it and there is no beginning;
follow it and there is no end.
You can’t know it, but you can be it,
at ease in your own life.
Just realize where you come from:
this is the essence of wisdom.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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Look at it, it cannot be seen
It is called colorless
Listen to it, it cannot be heard
It is called noiseless
Reach for it, it cannot be held
It is called formless
These three cannot be completely unraveled
So they are combined into one

Above it, not bright
Below it, not dark
Continuing endlessly, cannot be named
It returns back into nothingness
Thus it is called the form of the formless
The image of the imageless
This is called enigmatic
Confront it, its front cannot be seen
Follow it, its back cannot be seen

Wield the Tao of the ancients
To manage the existence of today
One can know the ancient beginning
It is called the Tao Axiom

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Sight and blindness are indistinguishable.
Thunder and silence are one.
Touch and ether are the same.
There is always light and dark.
Shape is illusion; form is Formless.
The future is the past.
The Beginning is the present.
Nothingness is the Zero called changeless.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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from I Ching Online

 

Today: “Share what you are drawn to so that others, regardless of position, may have a transcendent experience. ” – From the I Ching

Know the best of you /
Share your experiences /
be inspiration

Share what you are drawn to so that others, regardless of position, may have a transcendent experience.   

Tao Te Ching – Verse 13 – Success is as dangerous as failure. Hope is as hollow as fear. 

Today: “Why can’t you love everybody? You have no tolerance.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “Why can’t you love everybody? You have no tolerance.” Yogi Bhajan

 

Previous reading: “What is prayer? You create a vibratory effect which goes into the Infinite Creative around the psyche of you.”

Today: “What is prayer? You create a vibratory effect which goes into the Infinite Creative around the psyche of you.” Yogi Bhajan

Previous previous reading: “Give special attention to small matters of self improvement. Small indiscretions left unnoticed easily become patterns for major misbehavior. Improve your own habits of interaction before meddling in those of others.”

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42 – Forty-Two.  I / Expansion

Whirlwinds and Thunder:
When the Superior Person encounters saintly behavior, he adopts it; when he encounters a fault within, he transforms it.

Progress in every endeavor.
You may cross to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Get ready to ride a tide of accelerated growth toward self-actualization.
A joyful awareness of the best within you, coupled with an acceptance of your Shadow, will provide a greater repertoire, a much bolder vision, and new depth and clarity that will compel you to expand your horizons.

Six in the fourth place means:

Your balance and skill have not gone unnoticed by those in power.
They will entrust you with responsibilites that have far-reaching influence.

If you walk in the middle
And report the prince,
He will follow.
It furthers one to be used
In the removal of the capital.

Prince Shotoku

Prince Shotoku

It is important that there should be men who mediate between leaders and followers. These should be disinterested people, especially in times of increase, since the benefit is to spread from the leader to the people. Nothing of this benefit should be held back in a selfish way; it should really reach those for whom it is intended. This sort of intermediary, who also exercises a good influence on the leader, is especially important in times when it is a matter of great undertakings, decisive for the future and requiring the inner assent of all concerned.
17 – Seventeen.  Sui / Following

Thunder beneath the Lake’s surface.
The Superior Person allows himself plenty of sheltered rest and recuperation while awaiting a clear sign to follow.

Supreme success.
No mistakes if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Thunder from the Lake — the lulling, rhythmic roar of the faithful tide, eternally wearing away the stone of the shoreline, forever obedient to the phases of the moon.
The pull of the moon on the tide is the Following called for now.
As mighty as the tide is in its own right, it is ever the puppet of the invisible, irresistible gravity of the moon.
What cyclical forces pull you along?
Are you futilely attempting to resist a natural attraction?

 

Tao Te Ching – Verse 13 – Success is as dangerous as failure. Hope is as hollow as fear.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 13

Success is as dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as fear.

What does it mean that success is as dangerous as failure?
Whether you go up the ladder or down it,
your position is shaky.
When you stand with your two feet on the ground,
you will always keep your balance. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 13 – Success is as dangerous as failure. Hope is as hollow as fear.”

Today: “Trust only your intuition; not your fears and compulsions; not the agendas of others.” – From the I Ching

Trust only your intuition; not your fears and compulsions; not the agendas of others.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 12 – He allows things to come and go. His heart is open as the sky. 

Today: “What is prayer? You create a vibratory effect which goes into the Infinite Creative around the psyche of you.” Yogi Bhajan

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Previous previous reading: “Direct your attention toward realizing your aspirations. Go all in. Constructive achievement is always more profitable than engaging fearful distractions.”

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See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading from the original text
38 – Thirty-Eight.  K’uei / Estrangement

Fire distances itself from its nemesis, the Lake:
No matter how large or diverse the group, the Superior Person remains uniquely himself.

Small accomplishments are possible.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are working at cross-purposes with another.
The distance between you is very wide.
The gap can be closed, however, with no compromise of your integrity.
You are not adversaries in this case — just two persons addressing individual needs.
Ask yourself: are these needs mutually exclusive?
Is there common ground here?
Must there be one winner and one loser?
Could you become partners in seeking a solution that would allow for two winners?

Six in the fifth place means:

A kindred spirit cuts through the barriers that separate you.
Can you cross the small distance remaining?

Remorse disappears.
The companion bites his way through the wrappings.
If one goes to him,
How could it be a mistake?

Columbian ground squirrel

Columbian ground squirrel

Coming upon a sincere man, one fails to recognize him at first because of the general estrangement. However, he bites his way through the wrappings that are causing the separation. When such a companion thus reveals himself in his true character, it is one’s duty to go to meet him and to work with him.
10 – Ten.  Lü / Worrying the Tiger

Heaven shines down on the Marsh which reflects it back imperfectly:
Though the Superior Man carefully discriminates between high and low, and acts in accord with the flow of the Tao, there are still situations where a risk must be taken.

You tread upon the tail of the tiger.
Not perceiving you as a threat, the startled tiger does not bite.
Success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You have reached a perilous point in your journey.
This is a real gamble — not a maneuver, not a calculated risk.
The outcome is uncertain.
If it goes as you hope, you will gain — but if it turns against you it will cause serious injury, at least to your plans.
The best tack is extreme caution and a healthy respect for the danger involved.

 

Tao Te Ching – Verse 12 – He allows things to come and go. His heart is open as the sky.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 12

Colors blind the eye.
Sounds deafen the ear.
Flavors numb the taste.
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the heart.

The Master observes the world
but trusts his inner vision.
He allows things to come and go.
His heart is open as the sky.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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The five colors make one blind in the eyes
The five sounds make one deaf in the ears
The five flavors make one tasteless in the mouth

Racing and hunting make one wild in the heart
Goods that are difficult to acquire make one cause damage

Therefore the sages care for the stomach and not the eyes
That is why they discard the other and take this

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Colors blur sight.
Sounds blur hearing.
Tastes blur the Nectar.
Chasing drives Bliss away.
Lust blurs calm.
In the Nothingness of Zero is Unimaginable Peace.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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from I Ching Online

Today: “Give special attention to small matters of self improvement.  Small indiscretions left unnoticed easily become patterns for major misbehavior.  Improve your own habits of interaction before meddling in those of others.” – From the I Ching

Give special attention to small matters of self improvement.  Small indiscretions left unnoticed easily become patterns for major misbehavior.  Improve your own habits of interaction before meddling in those of others.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 11: “We work with being, but non-being is what we use.” 

Today: ““Life is not given to us to live as a routine. It is given to us as our destiny. It is given so we experience life.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: ““Life is not given to us to live as a routine. It is given to us as our destiny. It is given so we experience life.” Yogi Bhajan

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Previous reading: “Direct your attention toward realizing your aspirations. Go all in. Constructive achievement is always more profitable than engaging fearful distractions.”

Today: “Direct your attention toward realizing your aspirations.  Go all in.  Constructive achievement is always more profitable than engaging fearful distractions.” – From the I Ching

 

Previous previous reading: “Engage in good works. Give freely. Hold an attitude of gratitude.”

Today: “Engage in good works.  Give freely. Hold an attitude of gratitude.” – From the I Ching

Meditation: LA918 970908 Internal Effectiveness

Meditation: LA046 – 780614 – Hari Shabad Meditation – Use the Wind to Produce Trance and Dissolve Negativity

Meditation: 760422 – Balancing Projection with Intention

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Meditation: NM091 – 19921110 – Self Emboldenment, Engagement, Vision

Meditation: Magic Mantra-19760426

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

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading from the original text
21 – Twenty-One.  Shih Ho / Biting Through

The merciless, searing judgement of Lightning fulfills the warning prophecies of distant Thunder.
Sage rulers preserved Justice by clearly defining the laws, and by delivering the penalties decreed.

Though unpleasant, it is best to let justice have its due.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

A terrible reckoning is due.
A wrong will be righted — and even if it has been you who has been wronged, you will tremble at the terrible power of Justice untempered by Mercy.
Pray for your oppressor, that his punishment will fit his crime.

Nine at the top means:

The wooden stocks cover his ears, making him deaf to the warnings to repent.
Misfortune will deepen.

His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue,
So that his ears disappear.
Misfortune.

Wooden cangue

Wooden cangue

In contrast to the first line, this line refers to a man who’s incorrigible. His punishment is the wooden cangue, and his ears disappear under it—that is to say, he is deaf to warnings. This obstinacy leads to misfortune.1


1. It should be noted here that there is an alternative interpretation of this hexagram, based on the idea, “Above, light (the sun); below, movement.” In this interpretation the hexagram symbolizes a market below, full of movement, while the sun is shining in the sky above. The allusion to meat suggests that it is a food market. Gold and arrows are the articles of trade. The disappearance of the nose means the vanishing of smell, that is, the person in question is not covetous. The idea of poison points to the dangers of wealth, and so on throughout.
Confucius says in regard to the nine at the beginning in this hexagram: “The inferior man is not ashamed of unkindness and does not shrink from injustice. If no advantage beckons he makes no effort. If he is not intimidated he does not improve himself, but if he is made to behave correctly in small matters he is careful in large ones. This is fortunate for the inferior man.”
On the subject of the nine at the top Confucius says: “If good does not accumulate, it is not enough to make a name for a man. If evil does not accumulate, it is not strong enough to destroy a man. Therefore the inferior man thinks to himself, ‘Goodness in small things has no value, ‘ and so neglects it. He thinks, ‘Small sins do not harm,’ and so does not give them up. Thus his sins accumulate until they can no longer be covered up, and his guilt becomes so great that it can no longer be wiped out.”

16 – Sixteen.  Yü / Enthusiasm

Thunder comes resounding out of the Earth:
Similar thunder roars up from the masses when the Superior Person strikes a chord in their hearts.

Whip up enthusiasm, rally your forces, and move boldly forward.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is a rhythmic force, a world music, that lives deep in the Unconscious of each of us.
It’s a primitive drumbeat, a shaking rattle, a tribal chant that invokes the primal self to rise up and join the dance.
This is the enthusiasm that is generated now.
Not rhetorical persuasion, not a play on the emotions, but a charismatic, irresistible Call of the Wild.
Confucius said that the person who could comprehend this could ‘rule the world as though it were spinning in his hand.’
This is a time for instinct, not intellect — the Thunder from the Beneath.