In your intentions and actions give attention to what can be expanded in the world to bring peace. Forego what would distract you from your inner peace. Purify your internal space then share it.
See Tao Te Ching – Verse 5 – The Tao doesn’t take sides; it gives birth to both good and evil.
See previous previous reading: Today: “Be vigilant with your success and rise to prominence. Do not let fame and fortune go to your head. Remember who you are and where you came from. Remember who helped you and remained by your side.” – from the I Ching
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33 – Thirty-Three. Tun / Retreat
The tranquil Mountain towers overhead, yet remains this side of Heaven:
The Superior Person avoids the petty and superficial by keeping shallow men at a distance, not in anger but with dignity.
Such a retreat sweeps the path clear to Success.
Occupy yourself with minute detail.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
Retreat in this instance is not a desperate flight in disarray, but a conscious choice to distance yourself from forces that would rob you of your peace.
It is not a surrender, but a regrouping.
Retreat from this conflict is actually an advance toward your own center.
You move toward balance, and thus a much stronger position.
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Nine in the fifth place means: He makes a dignified retreat and retains control of the situation. Friendly retreat. Perseverance brings good fortune.
‘The Beginning of a Perfect Day’ – Thomas Kinkade |
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| It is the business of the superior man to recognize in time that the moment for retreat has come. If the right moment is chosen, the retreat can be carried out within the forms of perfect friendliness, without the necessity of disagreeable discussions. Yet, for all the observance of amenities, absolute firmness of decision is necessary if one is not to be led astray by irrelevant considerations. |
52 – Fifty-Two. Kên / The Mountain
Above this Mountain’s summit another more majestic rises:
The Superior Person is mindful to keep his thoughts in the here and now.
Stilling the sensations of the Ego, he roams his courtyard without moving a muscle, unencumbered by the fears and desires of his fellows.
This is no mistake.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
There is a higher vantage point available to you, but it is obscured by the visible peak of personal ambition.
To climb to this higher plane, you must shake off the desires and fears of the conscious, visible world around you.
To make this journey you must quiet the Ego, empty your mind of past and future, and dwell totally in the moment at hand.
Thorough mindfulness of what is before you is the only tranquility.
Be. Here. Now.