Today: “Life is in a balance. The swings in the mind are there to give you experience and to let you discover the you within you. ” – Yogi Bhajan

“Life is in a balance. The swings in the mind are there to give you experience and to let you discover the you within you. For all those who will praise and recognize you, there may be an equal number who want to slander you. You may wonder, “Why?” That balance and swing lets your standard be tested. You cannot hold to something external. You must find your own depth and test it, confirm it.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA741 – 921125 – Dance of Shiva

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 57 – If you want to be a great leader, you must learn to follow the Tao.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 57

If you want to be a great leader,
you must learn to follow the Tao.
Stop trying to control.
Let go of fixed plans and concepts,
and the world will govern itself.
The more prohibitions you have,
the less virtuous people will be.
The more weapons you have,
the less secure people will be.
The more subsidies you have,
the less self-reliant people will be. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 57 – If you want to be a great leader, you must learn to follow the Tao.”

“Persevere step by step, steady and with confidence.  You will find the nourishment you seek.” – Today’s Reading

Persevere step by step, steady and with confidence.  You will find the nourishment you seek.

When a man is advancing farther and farther, it is important for him not to become intoxicated by success. Precisely when he experiences great success it is necessary to remain sober and not to try to skip any stages; he must go on slowly, step by step, as though hesitant. Only such calm, steady progress, overleaping nothing, leads to the goal.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 56 – Those who know don’t talk. Those who talk don’t know.

Today: “When you conquer your mind you can listen to wisdom and let it find deep roots in your mind to serve you, to come to you whenever you need direction. ” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA918 970908 Internal Effectiveness

Meditation: LA950 A00214 20000214 Develop Self-Reliance

Meditation:  One Minute Breath

See lecture on cold showers

See Meditation:  Breath of Fire

Previous reading: “Contemplate your plan before executing it, particularly where danger is involved. Allow every aspect to emerge and be included in your view. Danger will not disappear, only the odds of success are far greater.”

Previous previous reading: “The collective psyche is damaged, if not broken. You are a source of sustenance. Offer the despondent comfort, sincerity and kindness as they heal.”

Related posts

Share The Magical Story of Mushkil Gusha with friends over a meal today.

The teacher

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
46 – Forty-Six.  Shêng / Upward Mobility

Beneath the Soil, the Seedling pushes upward toward the light:
To preserve his integrity, the Superior Person contents himself with small gains that eventually lead to great accomplishment.

Supreme Success.
Have no doubts.
Seek guidance from someone you respect.
A constant move toward greater clarity will bring reward.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are progressing, rising inch-by-inch toward certain success.
What makes this assured is your refusal to tilt headlong toward your goal, slamming into obstacles and going mad with frustration.
You have a clear map before you of the steps necessary to reach your objective.
With faithful patience and a careful conservation of personal energy and resources, you will run this long, slow distance.

Six in the fifth place means:

Climb these steps to good fortune.

Perseverance brings good fortune.
One pushes upward by steps.

 

Mount Fanjing - south-west China

 

Mount Fanjing – south-west China
the Temple of the Buddha and the Temple of Maitreya 1

When a man is advancing farther and farther, it is important for him not to become intoxicated by success. Precisely when he experiences great success it is necessary to remain sober and not to try to skip any stages; he must go on slowly, step by step, as though hesitant. Only such calm, steady progress, overleaping nothing, leads to the goal.


1. Mount Fanjing
We’re in Guizhou province looking at a spire called Red Clouds Golden Summit on Mount Fanjing in south-west China. Rising more than 100 metres above the surrounding mountaintop, visitors will need to climb almost 9,000 steps to reach the summit. Look closely at the image and you can see how the stairs swirl up and around the rock formation and through a gorge.

The buildings you see perched at the top are two Buddhist temples – the Temple of the Buddha and the Temple of Maitreya – linked by a small footbridge. For visitors who don’t want to walk to the top, there’s a cable car that will take you two-thirds of the way there. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2018.

48 – Forty-Eight.  Ching / The Well

Deep Waters Penetrated and drawn to the surface:
The Superior Person refreshes the people with constant encouragement to help one another.

Encampments, settlements, walled cities, whole empires may rise and fall, yet the Well at the center endures, never drying to dust, never overflowing.
It served those before and will serve those after.
Again and again you may draw from the Well, but if the bucket breaks or the rope is too short there will be misfortune.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is a Source common to us all.
Jung named it the Collective Unconscious.
Others hail it as God within.
Inside each of us are dreamlike symbols and archetypes, emotions and instincts that we share with every other human being.
When we feel a lonely separateness from others, it is not because this Well within has dried up, but because we have lost the means to reach its waters.
You need to reclaim the tools necessary to penetrate to the depths of your fellows.
Then the bonds you build will be as timeless and inexhaustible as the Well that nourishes them.

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Today: “When you conquer your mind you can listen to wisdom and let it find deep roots in your mind to serve you, to come to you whenever you need direction. ” – Yogi Bhajan

“When you conquer your mind you can listen to wisdom and let it find deep roots in your mind to serve you, to come to you whenever you need direction. You can also speak that wisdom simply. Such wisdom forms rules for life. If you listen carefully to simple wisdom, it enriches the mind and opens the heart to your own intuition.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: Listening to Angelic Whispers – from the Mind

See related posts

What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 56 – Those who know don’t talk. Those who talk don’t know.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 56

Those who know don’t talk.
Those who talk don’t know.
Close your mouth,
block off your senses,
blunt your sharpness,
untie your knots,
soften your glare,
settle your dust.
This is the primal identity.
Be like the Tao.
Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 56 – Those who know don’t talk. Those who talk don’t know.”

“Contemplate your plan before executing it, particularly where danger is involved.  Allow every aspect to emerge and be included in your view.  Danger will not disappear, only the odds of success are far greater.” – Today’s Reading

Contemplate your plan before executing it, particularly where danger is involved.  Allow every aspect to emerge and be included in your view.  Danger will not disappear, only the odds of success are far greater.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 55 – He who is in harmony with the Tao is like a newborn child

Today: “Each cause must have an effect, and every effect honors its cause. ” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Recap: Healing and Meditation Class at Yoga West with Hari Nam Singh 2018-12-10-The Hukam

Meditation: LA544 – 870610 – Know and Experience the Unknown

Meditation:  One Minute Breath

See lecture on cold showers

See Meditation:  Breath of Fire

Previous reading: “The collective psyche is damaged, if not broken. You are a source of sustenance. Offer the despondent comfort, sincerity and kindness as they heal.”

Previous previous reading: “You will attract the correct allies by giving them a choice. Nothing good can come by force.”

Related posts

The teacher

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
60 – Sixty.  Chieh / Limitations

Waters difficult to keep within the Lake’s banks:
The Superior Person examines the nature of virtue and makes himself a standard that can be followed.

Self-discipline brings success; but restraints too binding bring self-defeat.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Cultivating the proper disciplines and the proper degree of discipline are the concerns of this hexagram.
By limiting options, you may give more attention to priorities.
One who is all over the map is no less lost than one without a map.
Avoid asceticism, however.
Deprivation is not wise discipline.
The key here is regulation, not restriction.

Nine at the beginning [yang at bottom] means:

Roaming his own garden and courtyard, he never strays out the gate.
No mistake.

Not going out of the door and the courtyard
Is without blame.

Chinese courtyard

Chinese courtyard

Often a man who would like to undertake something finds himself confronted by insurmountable limitations. Then he must know where to stop. If he rightly understands this and does not go beyond the limits set for him, he accumulates an energy that enables him, when the proper time comes, to act with great force. Discretion is of prime importance in preparing the way for momentous things. Concerning this, Kongfu (Confucius) says:

Where disorder develops, words are the first steps. If the prince is not discreet, he loses his servant. If the servant is not discreet he loses his life. If germinating things are not handled with discretion, the perfecting of them is impeded. Therefore the superior man is careful to maintain silence and does not go forth.

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.

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Today: “Each cause must have an effect, and every effect honors its cause. ” – Yogi Bhajan

“Each cause must have an effect, and every effect honors its cause. Each word is a cause. Every identity is a cause with its own effects and reality. So a teacher is a teacher, not a human. His effect is teaching, not everything else. To identify your identity and act and speak directly from that with a Neutral Mind gives you caliber, success, and happiness. It trains your mind to use its power to serve you.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA653-900612 – Self Hypnotic Trance

See related posts

What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 55 – He who is in harmony with the Tao is like a newborn child

Tao Te Ching – Verse 55

He who is in harmony with the Tao
is like a newborn child.
Its bones are soft, its muscles are weak,
but its grip is powerful.
It doesn’t know about the union
of male and female, yet its member can stand erect, so intense is its vital power.
It can scream its head off all day,
yet it never becomes hoarse,
so complete is its harmony. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 55 – He who is in harmony with the Tao is like a newborn child”

“The collective psyche is damaged, if not broken. You are a source of sustenance.  Offer the despondent comfort, sincerity and kindness as they heal.” – Today’s Reading

The collective psyche is damaged, if not broken. You are a source of sustenance.  Offer the despondent comfort, sincerity and kindness as they heal.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 54 – Whoever is planted in the Tao will not be rooted up

Today: “Technically, the best approach is to do jappa—repeat the words and mantras we use in Kundalini Yoga and from the Shabd Guru.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: NM0163 – Feel God Within You, The Kindness in You

Meditation: NM0420-20011015 – The Power of Memories – Remember the Saint Within

 

 

Meditation:  One Minute Breath

See lecture on cold showers

See Meditation:  Breath of Fire

Previous reading: “You will attract the correct allies by giving them a choice. Nothing good can come by force.”

Previous previous reading: “In this time of mass delusion there is nothing more to do than to leave people to their folly. Everyone will simply have to live the consequences. Just live your own identity.”

Related posts

The teacher

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
48 – Forty-Eight.  Ching / The Well

Deep Waters Penetrated and drawn to the surface:
The Superior Person refreshes the people with constant encouragement to help one another.

Encampments, settlements, walled cities, whole empires may rise and fall, yet the Well at the center endures, never drying to dust, never overflowing.
It served those before and will serve those after.
Again and again you may draw from the Well, but if the bucket breaks or the rope is too short there will be misfortune.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is a Source common to us all.
Jung named it the Collective Unconscious.
Others hail it as God within.
Inside each of us are dreamlike symbols and archetypes, emotions and instincts that we share with every other human being.
When we feel a lonely separateness from others, it is not because this Well within has dried up, but because we have lost the means to reach its waters.
You need to reclaim the tools necessary to penetrate to the depths of your fellows.
Then the bonds you build will be as timeless and inexhaustible as the Well that nourishes them.

Six at the top means:
One draws from the well
Without hindrance.
It is dependable.
Supreme good fortune.

Swimming pool at sea

The well is there for all. No one is forbidden to take water from it. No matter how many come, all find what they need, for the well is dependable. It has a spring and never runs dry. Therefore it is a great blessing to the whole land. The same is true of the really great man, whose inner wealth is inexhaustible; the more that people draw from him, the greater his wealth becomes.

53 – Fifty-Three   Chien / Gradual Progress

The gnarled Pine grows tenaciously off the Cliff face:
The Superior Person clings faithfully to dignity and integrity, thus elevating the Collective Spirit of Man in his own small way.
Development.
The maiden is given in marriage.
Good fortune if you stay on course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Adaptability mixed with integrity will bring a calm, steady progress.
Move from your center, always faithful to your principles, yet with the flexibility to weather any tempest.
Yours is not a meteoric rise to the top, but the solid, confident footing of one who has a clear vision of what can be, and who is willing to climb the distance to reach it.
The oracle foresees companionship along the way — a Divine comfort on any journey.

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Today: “Technically, the best approach is to do jappa—repeat the words and mantras we use in Kundalini Yoga and from the Shabd Guru.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Technically, the best approach is to do jappa—repeat the words and mantras we use in Kundalini Yoga and from the Shabd Guru. To some that looks insane. But we repeat those words for a purpose and a specific effect. When we repeat those sounds, the tongue touches the upper palate’s meridian points. This alerts the thalamus and hypothalamus of the brain. We can control the brain’s function and level by our use of the shabd. We can settle the function and frequency of the mental projections. Then you can relax and be factual and be present.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA159 800318 NAAD KRIYA

See related posts

What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 54 – Whoever is planted in the Tao will not be rooted up

Tao Te Ching – Verse 54

Whoever is planted in the Tao
will not be rooted up.
Whoever embraces the Tao
will not slip away.
Her name will be held in honor
from generation to generation.
Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 54 – Whoever is planted in the Tao will not be rooted up”

Meditation: LA154 “For Incredible Clarity To Break Your Fear of Feeling Emotion”

“For Incredible Clarity To Break Your Fear of Feeling Emotion”

 

“You will attract the correct allies by giving them a choice.  Nothing good can come by force.” – Today’s Reading

You will attract the correct allies by giving them a choice.  Nothing good can come by force.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 52 – In the beginning was the Tao. All things issue from it; all things return to it.

Today: “I want to share with you the beauty, the wonders of the human mind. I want you to understand that your mental faculty is not only a power, it is the greatest power, and it is at your call.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation:  TCH36-8I-2000724-You and Thou

Meditation:  One Minute Breath

See lecture on cold showers

See Meditation:  Breath of Fire

Previous reading: “In this time of mass delusion there is nothing more to do than to leave people to their folly. Everyone will simply have to live the consequences. Just live your own identity.”

Previous previous reading: “Create your own path. Leave the tribal views behind and seek your own. Where you have been misled, no guilt. Divine winds will redress the wrongs of the despots whom you followed.”

Related posts

The teacher

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
8 – Eight.  Pi / Bonding

Deep Waters on the face of the Earth:
Surface waters flow together.
The Superior Person recognizes the situation calls for joining together.
Thus he cultivates friendly relations with all.

Good fortune is possible.
Cast the coins again to discover if you have the qualities needed to lead such a group.
Then there will be no error.
Those uncertain will gradually join.
Those who join too late will meet with misfortune.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a time of connection with another or others — not just an alliance, but a melding of parts into a new whole.
Such a connection may be too close, too intense for some.
Consult the oracle again to see if you have the qualities needed to strengthen and withstand such an intense synthesis.

Nine in the fifth place means:

The hunter surrounds the game on only three sides, allowing an avenue of escape.
In seeking allegiance with others, leave room for them to say ‘no’; this way, those choosing to join you will be sincere.

Manifestation of holding together.
In the hunt the king uses beaters on three sides only
And forgoes game that runs off in front.
The citizens need no warning.
Good fortune.

The Hunt

‘The Hunt’ – Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin – 1929

In the royal hunts of ancient China it was customary to drive up the game from three sides, but on the fourth the animals had a chance to run off. If they failed to do this they had to pass through a gate behind which the king stood ready to shoot. Only animals that entered here were shot; those that ran off in front were permitted to escape. This custom accorded with a kingly attitude; the royal hunter did not wish to turn the chase into a slaughter, but held that the kill should consist only of those animals which had so to speak voluntarily exposed themselves.
There is depicted here a ruler, or influential man, to whom people are attracted. Those who come to him he accepts, those who do not come are allowed to go their own way. He invited none, flatters none – all come of their own free will. In this way there develops a voluntary dependence among those who hold to him. They do not have to be constantly on their guard but may express their opinions openly. Police measures are not necessary, and they cleave to their ruler of their own volition. The same principle of freedom is valid for life in general. We should not woo favor from people. If a man cultivates within himself the purity and the strength that are necessary for one who is the centre of a fellowship, those who are meant for him come of their own accord.
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.

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Today: “To win the game of life you must have caliber. To have caliber you must have an Applied Mind.” – Yogi Bhajan

“To win the game of life you must have caliber. To have caliber you must have an Applied Mind. An Applied Mind is a mind that processes everything positive and negative then acts from the Neutral Mind to express you. The Applied Mind uses the Neutral Mind to assess all positive and negative, but does not react on that basis. It acts to cause a cause that leads to the fulfillment of you and your destiny, you andyour highest identity.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: The Neutral Mind

See related posts

What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 53 – The great Way is easy, yet people prefer the side paths

Tao Te Ching – Verse 53

The great Way is easy,
yet people prefer the side paths.
Be aware when things are out of balance.
Stay centered within the Tao. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 53 – The great Way is easy, yet people prefer the side paths”

“In this time of mass delusion there is nothing more to do than to leave people to their folly.  Everyone will simply have to live the consequences.  Just live your own identity.” – Today’s Reading

In this time of mass delusion there is nothing more to do than to leave people to their folly.  Everyone will simply have to live the consequences.  Just live your own identity.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 52 – In the beginning was the Tao. All things issue from it; all things return to it.

Today: “I want to share with you the beauty, the wonders of the human mind. I want you to understand that your mental faculty is not only a power, it is the greatest power, and it is at your call.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: M043-19890623 See Your Soul Within Your Third Eye

Recap: Healing Intensive with Hari Nam Singh at Park Slope Brooklyn October 12-13, 2018

Meditation: LA004 780109 Experience the Experience

Meditation:  One Minute Breath

See lecture on cold showers

See Meditation:  Breath of Fire

Previous reading: It is time to bring your affairs into order.”

Previous previous reading: “Stay safe from the danger swirling about you by allowing events to take their course. Do not react to nor resist the radical transformations that you are witnessing.”

Related posts

The teacher

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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 fourth place means:
Entangled folly brings humiliation.

You are so terrified of being wrong, you leave no room for learning what is right.

Erasmus

Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (1466-1536) – author of Encomium Moriae (In Praise of Folly)

For youthful folly it is the most hopeless thing to entangle itself in empty imaginings. The more obstinately it clings to such unreal fantasies, the more certainly will humiliation overtake it.
Often the teacher, when confronted with such entangled folly, has no other course but to leave the fool to himself for a time, not sparing him the humiliation that results. This is frequently the only means of rescue.
12 – Twelve.  P’i / Stagnation

Heaven and Earth move away from each other.
In the ensuing void, the small invade where the great have departed.
There is no common meeting ground, so the Superior Person must fall back on his inner worth and decline the rewards offered by the inferior invaders.

Difficult trials as you hold to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

It is natural to assume that, if Earth above Heaven forms the hexagram for Peace and Paradise, then the opposite configuration, with Heaven over Earth would represent the antithesis of Paradise, Hell.
Not so.
This hexagram is actually the Dark side of Peace, its unsavory byproduct, Stagnation.
In a time when most of our wants are provided, there is little need for the heroes, the artists, the great thinkers and innovators.
As they recede into the shadows, Idleness, Apathy, and Lassitude come to the forefront.
Peace has become boring, bland, unchallenging — Stagnant.
Now our attention turns to the quick fix, the instant celebrity, the fad, the one-nighter, the current buzz.
There is no room for depth.
If you are a passionate soul, you must wait for a better time to find kindred spirits.
In these times, they are only curious legends, bas-relief, dead poets.

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