Tag: SNR

Today: “Liberation.  Without attachment, you may choose your next and every action.  Give your attention according to your intuition.  If there is something, do it.  If there is nothing, don’t act.” – from the I Ching

Liberation.  Without attachment, you may choose your next and every action.  Give your attention according to your intuition.  If there is something, do it.  If there is nothing, don’t act.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 80 – If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content

Meditation: The Neutral Mind

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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.

yin
yin above: Chên / The Arousing, Thunder
yang
yin
yang below: K’an / The Abysmal, Water
yin

 

Here the movement goes out of the sphere of danger. The obstacle has been removed, the difficulties are being resolved. Deliverance is not yet achieved; it is just in its beginning, and the hexagram represents its various stages.

THE JUDGEMENT

DELIVERANCE. The south-west furthers.
If there is no longer anything where one has to go,
Return brings good fortune.
If there is still something where one has to go,
Hastening brings good fortune.

This refers to a time in which tensions and complications begin to be eased. At such times we ought to make our way back to ordinary conditions as soon as possible; this is the meaning of “the south-west.” These periods of sudden change have great importance. Just as rain relieves atmospheric tension, making all the buds burst open, so a time of deliverance from burdensome pressure has a liberating and stimulating effect on life. One thing is important, however: in such times we must not overdo our triumph. The point is not to push on farther than is necessary. Returning to the regular order of life as soon as deliverance is achieved brings good fortune. If there are any residual matters that ought to be attended to, it should be done as quickly as possible, so that a clean sweep is made and no retardations occur.

THE IMAGE

Thunder and rain set in:
The image of DELIVERANCE.
Thus the superior man pardons mistakes
And forgives misdeeds.
 

Thunder over water
A thunderstorm has the effect of clearing the air; the superior man produces a similar effect when dealing with mistakes and sins of men that induce a condition of tension. Through clarity he brings deliverance. However, when failings come to light, he does not dwell on them; he simply passes over mistakes, the unintentional transgressions, just as thunder dies away. He forgives misdeeds, the intentional transgressions, just as water washes everything clean.
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Today: “A common soul frees itself from the earth attachment in seventeen days after death.” – Yogi Bhajan

“A common soul frees itself from the earth attachment in seventeen days after death.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA007-780117-Sadhana Yojina-To Infinity Upon Death

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 80 – If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content

Tao Te Ching – Verse 80

If a country is governed wisely,
its inhabitants will be content.
They enjoy the labor of their hands
and don’t waste time inventing
labor-saving machines.
Since they dearly love their homes,
they aren’t interested in travel. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 80 – If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content”

Today: “You are called to lead.  It will take a steady commitment to teach and support the development of all who seek guidance.” – from the I Ching

You are called to lead.  It will take a steady commitment to teach and support the development of all who seek guidance.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 79 – Failure is an opportunity

Yogi Bhajan’s Seven Steps to Happiness

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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.

 yin
yin above: K’un / The Receptive, Earth
yin
yin
yang below: Tui / The Joyous, Lake
yang

 

The Chinese word Lin has a range of meanings that is not exhausted by any single word of another language. The ancient explanations in the Yi Jing give as its first meaning, “becoming great.” What becomes great are the two strong lines growing into the hexagram from below; the light-giving power expands with them. The meaning is then further extended to include the concept of approach, especially the approach of what is strong and highly placed in relation to what is lower. Finally the meaning includes the attitude of condescension of a man in high position toward the people, and in general the setting to work on affairs. This hexagram is linked with the twelfth month (January-February), when after the winter solstice, the light power begins to ascend again.

THE JUDGEMENT

APPROACH has supreme success.
Perseverance furthers.
When the eighth month comes,
There will be misfortune.

The hexagram as a whole points to a time of joyous, hopeful progress. Spring is approaching. Joy and forbearance bring high and low nearer together. Success is certain. But we must work with determination and perseverance to make full use of the propitiousness of the time. And one thing more: spring does not last forever. In the eighth month the aspects are reversed. Then only two strong, light lines are left; these do not advance but are in retreat [see next hexagram (20)]. We must take heed of this change in good time. If we meet evil before it becomes reality- before it has even begun to stir-we can master it.

THE IMAGE

The earth above the lake:
The image of APPROACH.
Thus the superior man is inexhaustible
In his will to teach,
And without limits
In his tolerance and protection of the people.
 

Lake with coots

 

Stotersplas Landsmeer, Holland December 21st 2009 – photo Lex van den Bos
The earth borders upon the lake from above.1 This symbolises the approach and condescension of the man of higher position to those beneath him. The two parts of the image indicate what his attitude toward these people will be. Just as the lake is inexhaustible in depth, so the sage is inexhaustible in his readiness to teach mankind, and just as the earth is boundlessly wide, sustaining and caring for all creatures on it, so the sage sustains and cares for all people and excludes no part of humanity.

1. [See the two trigrams.]
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Today: “Concentrate on this mantra—Wha, I am the great spirit. It will bring fulfillment and good luck.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Concentrate on this mantra—Wha, I am the great spirit. It will bring fulfillment and good luck.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM0380 – Ecstasy and Joy

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

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

Tao Te Ching – Verse 79 – Failure is an opportunity

Tao Te Ching – Verse 79

Failure is an opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end to the blame.

Therefore the Master
fulfills her own obligations
and corrects her own mistakes.
She does what she needs to do
and demands nothing of others. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 79 – Failure is an opportunity”

Today: “The danger lies in complicating things.  Go back to basics and your original mind.  Relate with simplicity.” – from the I Ching

The danger lies in complicating things.  Go back to basics and your original mind.  Relate with simplicity.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 78 – “Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.”

Meditation: Listening to Angelic Whispers – from the Mind

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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.

Rice man
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.

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Today: “Nobody can speak the infinite truth until the plate of the mind is clear.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Nobody can speak the infinite truth until the plate of the mind is clear. And what we offer is technical know-how to rub the plate of the mind and make it shiny and clear.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation:  LA372 831212 Corruption and character

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

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

Tao Te Ching – Verse 78 – “Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse  78

Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass it.

The soft overcomes the hard;
the gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but few can put it into practice.

Therefore the Master remains
serene in the midst of sorrow.
Evil cannot enter his heart.
Because he has given up helping,
he is people’s greatest help.

True words seem paradoxical.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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Nothing in the world is softer or weaker than water
Yet nothing is better at overcoming the hard and strong
This is because nothing can replace it

That the weak overcomes the strong
And the soft overcomes the hard
Everybody in the world knows
But cannot put into practice

Therefore sages say:
The one who accepts the humiliation of the state
Is called its master
The one who accepts the misfortune of the state
Becomes king of the world
The truth seems like the opposite

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Water, so soft,
Was the beginning.
So powerful,
Will be the end.
Embrace the humble.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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Today: “Come together in support of the leader who is just and compassionate. ” – from the I Ching

Come together in support of the leader who is just and compassionate.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 77 – As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow.

Meditation: LA112 – 790528 For Support From the Elements

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45 – Forty-Five. Ts’ui / Gathering

The Lake rises by welcoming and receiving Earth’s waters:
The King approaches his temple.
It is wise to seek audience with him there.

Success follows this course.
Making an offering will seal your good fortune.
A goal will be realized now.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is an important Convergence, and you must be part of it.
Look for the Center of this convergence.
Like waters running to the sea, like an astronomical convergence of planets revolving around the sun, you should let the gravity of this Center draw you near.
Others are also drawn to this Center, and among them you will find shared bonds and kindred spirits.
This tribal convergence will give you a clarity of purpose.
You will no longer be alone.

Nine in the fourth place means:

No one will begrudge you the good fortune ahead.

Great good fortune. No blame.

Rue Montorgueil - Paris

‘Rue Montorgueil, Paris’, Claude Monet, June, 30 1878
This describes a man who gathers people around him in the name of his ruler. Since he is not striving for any special advantages for himself but is working unselfishly to bring about general unity, his work is crowned with success, and everything becomes as it should be.
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.

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Today: “Who is powerful, God or you? When you do the japa, chanting repetitiously, then the result is tapa, the heat that burns the karma.” – Yogi Bhajan

“Who is powerful, God or you? When you do the japa, chanting repetitiously, then the result is tapa, the heat that burns the karma.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM0425 – Breath of Life

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 40 – Return is the movement of the Tao. Yielding is the way of the Tao.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 77 – As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 77

As it acts in the world, the Tao
is like the bending of a bow.
The top is bent downward;
the bottom is bent up.
It adjusts excess and deficiency
so that there is perfect balance.
It takes from what is too much
and gives to what isn’t enough.

Those who try to control,
who use force to protect their power,
go against the direction of the Tao.
They take from those who don’t have enough
and give to those who have far too much.

The Master can keep giving
because there is no end to her wealth.
She acts without expectation,
succeeds without taking credit,
and doesn’t think that she is better
than anyone else.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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The Tao of Heaven
Is like drawing a bow
Lower that which is high
Raise that which is low
Reduce that which has excess
Add to that which is lacking

The Tao of heaven
Reduces the excessive
And adds to the lacking

The Tao of people is not so
It reduces the lacking
In order to offer to the excessive

Who can offer their excess to the world?
Only those who have the Tao
Therefore sages act without conceit
Achieve without claiming credit
They do not wish to display their virtue!

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Charity you say?
I say greed.
Gifts you say?
I say destruction.
Heaven and the Sage live these truths.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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Go to top

“May not the Tao be compared to bending a bow? The part of the bow which was high is brought low, and what was low is raised up. So Heaven diminishes where there is superabundance, and supplements where there is deficiency.
It is the Way of Heaven to diminish superabundance, and to supplement deficiency. It is not so with the way of man. He takes away from those who have not enough to add to his own superabundance.
Who can take his own superabundance and therewith serve all under heaven? Only he who is in possession of the Tao!
Therefore the sage acts without claiming the results as his; he achieves his merit and does not rest in it: — he does not wish to display his superiority.”

Excerpt From Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
https://books.apple.com/us/book/tao-te-ching/id1436033825

Today: “When good fortune comes, do not be greedy.  Do not fall into the familiar trap of shunning human connections in pursuit of material wealth.” – from the I Ching

When good fortune comes, do not be greedy.  Do not fall into the familiar trap of shunning human connections in pursuit of material wealth.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 76 – Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry.

Give this prayer with me…

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

55 – Fifty-Five. Fêng / Abundance

Thunder and Lightning from the dark heart of the storm:
The Superior Person judges fairly, so that consequences are just.

The leader reaches his peak and doesn’t lament the descent before him.
Be like the noonday sun at its zenith.
This is success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are in a position of authority in this situation.
Archetypally, you are the New King, returned from your quest to claim your throne.
However, you are enlightened enough to realize that you are merely a part of a cycle, and that you must someday yield your throne to the new kid in town, the younger, faster gunslinger, the young turk, the next returning hero, the next New King.
Fretting about the inevitable descent is senseless.
For now you must play your role to the hilt and use this gift of power to govern your world as best you can.
You are the best person for the job.
That’s why you were chosen.
Give it your personal best.

Six at the top means:

His house is in a state of abundance.
He screens off his family.
He peers through the gate
And no longer perceives anyone.
For three years he sees nothing.
Misfortune.

Mansion

This describes a man who because of his arrogance and obstinacy attains the opposite of what he strives for. He seeks abundance and splendor for his dwelling. He wishes at all odds to be master in his house, which so alienates his family that in the end he finds himself completely isolated.

13 – Thirteen. T’ung Jên / Social Mechanism

Heaven reflects the Flame of clarity:
The Superior Person analyzes the various levels and working parts of the social structure, and uses them to advantage.

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

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is a matter of Positioning — not only yourself, but others as well.
There are niches to be filled, potentials to be realized, right livelihoods to be found.
You are not building a new organization, but shoring up an existing infrastructure.
It’s worth the effort, because it will provide union, community, and an ironclad alliance.

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Today: “Why find God? Where is God? Is He on holiday? Whatever happened to Him?” – Yogi Bhajan

“Why find God? Where is God? Is He on holiday? Whatever happened to Him? If you realize that God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, then you must forget finding Him. You have already found Him. He is in you and you are in Him. But if you have no real connection with Him in that way, then keep on searching and I can guarantee that you will never find Him.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: NM0415 – 20010910 – Karma & Dharma

Here is an interesting story about finding God: “Silence” the Movie by Martin Scorsese

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 39 – In harmony with the Tao, the sky is clear and spacious

Tao Te Ching – Verse 76 – Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 76

Men are born soft and supple;
dead, they are stiff and hard.
Plants are born tender and pliant;
dead, they are brittle and dry.

Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible
is a disciple of death.
Whoever is soft and yielding
is a disciple of life.

The hard and stiff will be broken.
The soft and supple will prevail.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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While alive, the body is soft and pliant
When dead, it is hard and rigid
All living things, grass and trees,
While alive, are soft and supple
When dead, become dry and brittle
Thus that which is hard and stiff
is the follower of death
That which is soft and yielding
is the follower of life
Therefore, an inflexible army will not win
A strong tree will be cut down
The big and forceful occupy a lowly position
While the soft and pliant occupy a higher place

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Be soft and be immortal.
Be the bully and be destroyed.
How many times must this lesson be taught?

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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Today: “When things go better for you and you climb out of your hole, do not flaunt your newfound fortunes.  Keep your humility and your humanity.” – from the I Ching

When things go better for you and you climb out of your hole, do not flaunt your newfound fortunes.  Keep your humility and your humanity.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for the day

Tao Te Ching – Verse 75 – When taxes are too high, people go hungry. When the government is too intrusive, people lose their spirit

Meditation: Meditate on Nothing to Find Prosperity – 19930421

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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:

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.

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