Tag: Meditation

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

50 – Fifty Ting / The Caldron

Fire rises hot and bright from the Wood beneath the sacrificial caldron:
The Superior Person positions himself correctly within the flow of Cosmic forces.

Supreme Accomplishment.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Your needs are coming into harmony with the requirements of the Cosmos.
Blending brilliantly with the Dance of Life, you are becoming an actual element of Cosmic Law.
Your goals will now be realized because you no longer cut against the Cosmic grain; you are no longer swimming against the flow of the Tao.
You are acquiring an intuitive sense of what can and cannot be, and aligning your efforts accordingly.

The six lines construct the image of Ting, THE CAULDRON; at the bottom are the legs, over them the belly, then come the ears (handles), and at the top the carrying rings. At the same time, the image suggests the idea of nourishment. The ting, cast of bronze, was the vessel that held the cooked viands in the temple of the ancestors and at banquets. The head of the family served the food from the ting into the bowls of the guests.¹
THE WELL (48) likewise has the secondary meaning of giving nourishment, but rather more in relation to the people. The ting, as a utensil pertaining to a refined civilisation, suggests the fostering and nourishing of able men, which redounded to the benefit of the state.²
This hexagram and THE WELL are the only two in the Yi Jing that represent concrete, man-made objects. Yet here too the thought has its abstract connotation.
Sun, below, is wood and wind; Li, above, is flame. Thus together they stand for the flame kindled by wood and wind, which likewise suggests the idea of preparing food.

THE JUDGEMENT

THE CALDRON. Supreme good fortune.
Success.

While THE WELL relates to the social foundation of our life, and this foundation is likened to the water that serves to nourish growing wood, the present hexagram refers to the cultural superstructure of society. Here it is the wood that serves as nourishment for the flame, the spirit. All that is visible must grow beyond itself, extend into the realm of the invisible. Thereby it receives its true consecration and clarity and takes firm root in the cosmic order.
Here we see civilisation as it reaches its culmination in religion. The ting serves in offering sacrifice to God. The highest earthly values must be sacrificed to the divine. But the truly divine does not manifest itself apart from man. The supreme revelation of God appears in prophets and holy men. To venerate them is true veneration of God. The will of God, as revealed through them, should be accepted in humility; this brings inner enlightenment and true understanding of the world, and this leads to great good fortune and success.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “As a man there are three faculties that you must have: wisdom, humility, and the desire to serve.” – Yogi Bhajan

“As a man there are three faculties that you must have: wisdom, humility, and the desire to serve. In any walk of life, if you cannot establish that you are a man of wisdom, you cannot win the game 100%. Your wife, your child, your partner, your spiritual teacher, your city, your county, your country—all look to you to be a man of wisdom. The second qualification is humility: that you are social and humble, approachable. Humble means approachable. You need to be approachable, easy to communicate and talk with. That is the second faculty. And the third is that you have the desire to serve, that you are sincere in your purpose of service.” Yogi Bhajan

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

Meditation: LA741 – 921125 – Dance of Shiva

Today: In your family, those whom are entrusted to you must enjoy discipline and freedom at the same time. Seek balance, erring on the side of discipline. – from the I Ching

In your family, those whom are entrusted to you must enjoy discipline and freedom at the same time. Seek balance, erring on the side of discipline.

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

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.

Nine in the third place means:

Tempers are unleashed within the family.
The father carries a heavy burden of guilt.
If his wife or children taunt him, this will only perpetuate the cycle.

When tempers flare up in the family,
Too great severity brings remorse.
Good fortune nonetheless.
When woman and child dally and laugh
It leads in the end to humiliation.

‘Woman and Child’ – Jean Laurent Mosnier

In the family the proper mean between severity and indulgence ought to prevail. Too great severity toward one’s own flesh and blood leads to remorse. The wise thing is to build strong dikes within which complete freedom of movement is allowed each individual. But in doubtful instances too great severity, despite occasional mistakes, is preferable, because it preserves discipline in the family, whereas too great weakness leads to disgrace.

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.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “Remember whenever you speak with anyone, you have only one line to speak. ” – Yogi Bhajan

“Remember whenever you speak with anyone, you have only one line to speak. You must gear yourself mentally. Whatever you have to communicate in that one line, it must be helped by your creative sense, your sixth sense. You must know where you can penetrate the person or situation and then your creative sense must let you establish your relationship.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA031 19780423 – Ad Nad Kriya – Gupt Gian Shakti the Secret Power of the Knowledge

Meditation: NM0383-20010213 – Culturing the Self

Today: Give up who you think you are, or who you want to be. Just be yourself. – from the I Ching

Give up who you think you are, or who you want to be. Just be yourself.

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

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.

Six in the fourth place means:

A simple meal of rice and wine, eaten from earthen bowls.
This is correct.

A jug of wine, a bowl of rice¹ with it;
Earthen vessels
Simply handed in through the window.
There is certainly no blame in this.

In times of danger ceremonious forms are dropped. What matters most is sincerity. Although as a rule it is customary for an official to present certain introductory gifts and recommendations before he is appointed, here everything is simplified to the utmost. The gifts are insignificant, there is no one to sponsor him, he introduces himself; yet all this need not be humiliating if only there is the honest intention of mutual help in danger. Still another idea is suggested. The window is the place through which light enters the room. If in difficult times we want to enlighten someone, we must begin with that which is in itself lucid and proceed quite simply from that point on.

47 – Forty-Seven K’un / Exhaustion

A Dead Sea, its Waters spent eons ago, more deadly than the desert surrounding it:
The Superior Person will stake his life and fortune on what he deeply believes.

Triumph belongs to those who endure.
Trial and tribulation can hone exceptional character to a razor edge that slices deftly through every challenge.
Action prevails where words will fail.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is the realm of the Shaman.
You have exhausted every alternative, spent yourself completely, taxed body and mind beyond your former limits.
Survival and salvation lie beyond your reach now.
Only transcendence to a new existence — a higher plane of being — will see you through.
The Old You is just a dry husk.
You can’t return to it.
Metamorphosis is the only grace offered.
You can only return to your homeland as a New You.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “When you communicate, the only friend you have is the art of creative dialogue.” – Yogi Bhajan

“When you communicate, the only friend you have is the art of creative dialogue. That is what establishes you as a man.”

Meditation: NM0364-20001023-On Communication I

Meditation: LA101 790419-Faith In Our Self And Our Own Discipline

Today:Go to your strength and what supports you. Do not count on others. Rely on yourself. – from the I Ching

Go to your strength and what supports you. Do not count on others. Rely on yourself.

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.

59 – Fifty-Nine Huan / Dissolution

Wind carries the Mists aloft:
Sage rulers dedicated their lives to serving a Higher Power and built temples that still endure.

The King approaches his temple.
Success if you stay on course.
You may cross to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Walls meant to protect have instead separated and isolated.
Your defenses have kept you apart from those whom you most need to touch.
Whatever the reason for discord between you, it is time to lay down your arms.
Dispel the inflexible demands and fears of the Mind so that you may reunite in the Heart.
If you have begrudged, forgive.
If you have torn down, repair.
If you have injured, heal.
If you have judged, pardon.
If you have grasped, let go.

Nine in the second place means:

When his dreams evaporate to mist on the breeze, he returns to his well of strength.
Regret is washed away.

At the dissolution
He hurries to that which supports him.
Remorse disappears.

Composition by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944)

When an individual discovers within himself the beginnings of alienation from others, of misanthropy and ill humor, he must set about dissolving these obstructions. He must rouse himself inwardly, hasten to that which supports him. Such support is never found in hatred, but always in a moderate and just judgement of men, linked with good will. If he regains this unobstructed outlook on humanity, while at the same time all saturnine ill humor is dissolved, all occasion for remorse disappears.

25 – Twenty-Five Wu Wang / Remaining Blameless

Thunder rolls beneath Heaven, as is its nature and place:
Sage rulers aligned themselves with the changing seasons, nurturing and guiding their subjects to do the same.

Exceptional Progress if you are mindful to keep out of the way of the natural Flow.
It would be a fatal error to try to alter its course.
This is a time of Being, not Doing.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is thoroughly a matter of the heart.
If everything you attempt, no matter how carefully planned, ends in disarray, then examine your motives.
They are the cause of your predicament.
It isn’t that your motives aren’t pure — even the best intentions will fail under these circumstances.
What stymies you in this situation is that you have a motive at all.
Free yourself of all expectations, release any tenuous grip you may have, and roll with it.
This is totally out of your control.
There are higher powers and more elements affecting the outcome of this situation than you can imagine.
Get out of their way.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “Those people who are humble, affectionate, serving, and who breathe the Divine Force into themselves…” – Yogi Bhajan

“Those people who are humble, affectionate, serving, and who breathe the Divine Force into themselves, make their mind to concentrate on one breath, and pray to the Universal Spirit by tuning in—not only does their own magnetic field/electric power get charged because of the life force, their circumvent force becomes so strong that it can keep away all the negative forces, and they can change the destiny of others.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA847-19950816-Unity-Your Magnetic Field of the Total Self Will Become One

See yesterday’s quote

Meditation: NM360-20000913 – Making a Mold – White Hole Mudra

Today: If you idolize your teachers, the most regrettable consequences are that you lose your own identity and you entirely miss the point of their shared awareness and wisdom. – from the I Ching

If you idolize your teachers, the most regrettable consequences are that you lose your own identity and you entirely miss the point of their shared awareness and wisdom. Look inside yourself, not presuming to know anything, then bear witness to what appears in your awareness. You can then take action with confidence and effect.

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.

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

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

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.

26 – Twenty-Six Ta Ch’u / Recharging Power

Heaven’s motherlode waits within the Mountain:
The Superior Person mines deep into history’s wealth of wisdom and deeds, charging his character with timeless strength.

Persevere.
Drawing sustenance from these sources creates good fortune.
Then you may cross to the far shore.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There are important precedents in this situation.
Others have trodden this Path before you, overcoming the same obstacles facing you now, and making crucial decisions at the same crossroads.
Study their journals, watch for their trail markings.
Gain inspiration and wisdom from the heroes and learn from the mistakes of those who chose a sidepath.
All were Seekers, explorers whose daring mapped a course you can follow.
The words and deeds of the finest can imbue you with the courage necessary to face what lies before you.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “If you feel you can’t believe anybody or anything, fine. Don’t. Instead believe in yourself.” – Yogi Bhajan

“If you feel you can’t believe anybody or anything, fine. Don’t. Instead believe in yourself. Wake up and go deeply in your self. Master the mind. Get to the essence and process of your own life. Stop playing games. If you find I am wrong in my statements, then try to be right and exalt, elevate, and take care of yourself.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: M136-970930 – Work on Shashara, Balance Earth and Heavens

See yesterday’s post

Meditation: NM374 – 20001128 – Patience and Intuition

Today: Starting off on your own is difficult. Be patient, not too aggressive. Enlist the help of kindred souls. – from the I Ching

Starting off on your own is difficult. Be patient, not too aggressive. Enlist the help of kindred souls.

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

3 – Three Chun / Difficulty at the Beginning

Thunder from the Deep:
The Superior Person carefully weaves order out of confusion.

Supreme Success if you keep to your course.
Carefully consider the first move.
Seek help.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

New ventures always pack along their inherent chaos.
Though this is an annoyance at best, and can even imperil or downright doom an endeavor, it is also the friction needed to polish your project to jewel brilliance.
Learn from these early obstacles.

Nine at the beginning [yang at bottom] means:

You have run up against an obstacle at the very head of the trail.
Keep to your course.
Seek mutual aid.

Hesitation and hindrance.
It furthers one to remain persevering.
It furthers one to appoint helpers.

Hesitation

IF A PERSON encounters a hindrance at the beginning of an enterprise, he must not try to force advance but must pause and take thought. However, nothing should put him off his course; he must persevere and constantly keep the goal in sight. It is important to seek out the right assistants, but he can find them only if he avoids arrogance and associates with his fellows in a spirit of humility. Only then will he attract those with whose help he can combat the difficulties.

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.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: Curtail extravagance, indulgence and compulsion in favor of the fruits of the middle path. – from the I Ching

Curtail extravagance, indulgence and compulsion in favor of the fruits of the middle path.

Meditation: KWTC-930407 Childhood Patterns – Aura

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

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.

Six in the third place means:

He without self-restraint today forges the shackles that hobble him tomorrow.

He who knows no limitation
Will have cause to lament.
No blame.

If an individual is bent only on pleasures and enjoyment, it is easy for him to lose his sense of the limits that are necessary. If he gives himself over to extravagance, he will have to suffer the consequences, with accompanying regret. He must not seek to lay the blame on others. Only when we realize that our mistakes are of our own making will such disagreeable experiences free us of errors.

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.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “Why won’t you be as God made you to be? ” – Yogi Bhajan

“I serve the House of the Guru. I will still be here, sitting and serving. Why won’t you be as God made you to be? Why won’t you just go and be who you are? Why not recognize your reality rather than pretend and project differently than you are?” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA877-19960604 – Self Realization

See related posts

Meditation: KWTC860702 Anti-Hypertension

Today: The great struggle going on between the evil usurpers and the protectors will have to play out. It is not your fight. – from the I Ching

The great struggle going on between the evil usurpers and the protectors will have to play out. It is not your fight.

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

2 – Two K’un / Receptive Force

Earth above and Earth below:
The Earth contains and sustains.
In this situation, the Superior Person should not take the initiative; he should follow the initiative of another.
He should seek receptive allies in the southwest; he should break ties with immovable allies in the northeast.

Responsive devotion.
Receptive influence.
Sublime Success if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a time for dealing with reality as it is, not as you would have it be.
If you realize that in this situation you are the receptor, not the transmitter of the stimulus, you will find yourself reaching goals that seemed unattainable under your own steam.
If you persist in futile efforts to be the Shaper rather than the Shaped, you will completely miss this unique opportunity.

Six at the top means:

The battling dragons are too evenly matched.
Each spills black and yellow blood to the soil below.

Dragons fight in the meadow.
Their blood is black and yellow.

In the top place the dark element should yield to the light. If it attempts to maintain a position to which it is not entitled and to rule instead of serving, it draws down upon itself the anger of the strong. A struggle ensues in which it is overthrown, with injury, however, to both sides. The dragon, symbol of heaven, comes to fight the false dragon that symbolised the inflation of the earth principle. Midnight blue is the color of heaven; yellow is the color of earth. Therefore, when black and yellow blood flow, it is a sign that in this unnatural contest both primal powers suffer injury.¹

1. While the top line of THE CREATIVE indicates titanic pride and forms a parallel to the Greek legend of Icarus, the top line of THE RECEPTIVE presents a parallel to the myth of Lucifer’s rebellion against God, or to the battle between the powers of darkness and the gods of Valhalla, which ended with the Twilight of the Gods.

23 – Twenty-Three Po / Splitting Apart

The weight of the Mountain presses down upon a weak foundation of Earth:
The Superior Person will use this time of oppression to attend to the needs of those less fortunate.

Any action would be ill-timed.
Stand fast.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a situation easily mistaken for Stagnation (Hexagram 12) or Revolution (Hexagram 49).
It just depends on which side you’re on.
During a time of Stagnation, human worms invade to feed on the decay.
During a time of Revolution, oppression is being overthrown.
But in this situation, oppressors are violently seizing power.
Pay special heed when you receive this hexagram, because the oracle is often warning you of a situation of which you are totally unaware.
You are about to be blindsided.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching

Today: “You are always known by your projected personality” – Yogi Bhajan

“You are always known by your projected personality. Everyone wants his real personality to be hidden. But your aura always represents your real personality.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: Drib Dhristi Lochina Karma

Meditation: LA093-790319 – Pranic Energy – the Earth Element Balanced by Ether

Today: The best thing to do now is to join together in friendly relations with our fellow travelers. – from the I Ching

The best thing to do now is to join together in friendly relations with our fellow travelers. It’s OK to recognize if you are the center of the union. If so, meet that responsibility with no reservations. In so doing, an abundance of support will come, like thunder from within the earth.