“Without realizing who you are, happiness cannot come to you.” Yogi Bhajan
Meditation: KWTC7-19910705 – Self Hypnotic Trance – Self Bliss
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: “Use what you have been blessed with lest it deteriorate and become useless.” from the I Ching
Use what you have been blessed with lest it deteriorate and become useless.
See the previous reading: Today: “You are in a position to help others without diminishing yourself. Do what you can.” from the I Ching
See the previous previous reading: Today: “Wait, allow a new situation to form, witness, join the flow. Allow random encounters. Engage kindly with people. Be helpful. You will help bring people together.” from the I Ching
See Related posts
All of the following contribute to the flow of what’s happening in recent readings:
Meditation: LA847-19950816-Unity-Your Magnetic Field of the Total Self Will Become One
Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You
Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You
Still relevant:
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.
Nine in the second place means:
Shooting at fish in the well puts holes in the bucket.
No one can draw from this well.
At the well hole one shoots fishes.
The jug is broken and leaks.
Shooting fish in a barrel
The water itself is clear, but it is not being used. Thus the well is a place where only fish will stay, and whoever comes to it, comes only to catch fish. But the jug is broken, so that the fish cannot be kept in it.
This describes the situation of a person who possesses good qualities but neglects them. No one bothers about him. As a result he deteriorates in mind. He associates with inferior men and can no longer accomplish anything worth while.
39 – Thirty-Nine. Chien / Obstacle
Ominous roiling in the Crater Lake atop the Volcano:
When meeting an impasse, the Superior Person turns his gaze within, and views the obstacle from a new perspective.
Offer your opponent nothing to resist.
Let a sage guide you in this.
Good fortune lies along this course.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
The Obstacle lies in obstinance.
An insistence on only one way of proceeding has brought things to an impasse.
You may either continue banging your head with irresistible force against this immovable object, or you might step back and survey this situation from a fresh perspective.
Which is immobile here — the obstruction or your attitude?
Today: “Love is a self-sacrifice. Love is the experience within one’s self of one’s own selflessness; that’s why love is God.” Yogi Bhajan
“Love is a self-sacrifice. Love is the experience within one’s self of one’s own selflessness; that’s why love is God. No one can explain love, because love is ecstasy. Love is the essence of an ever-longing devotion. Love does not change. If love changes, it is not love.” Yogi Bhajan
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 with your countrymen. Unite. Merge your aspirations, intentions and responsibilities as one family.” from the I Ching
Come together with your countrymen. Unite. Merge your aspirations, intentions and responsibilities as one family.
and then this: Tao Te Ching – Verse 77 – As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow.
See the previous reading: Today: “Wait, allow a new situation to form, witness, join the flow. Allow random encounters. Engage kindly with people. Be helpful. You will help bring people together.” from the I Ching
See the previous previous reading: Today: “You are in a position to help others without diminishing yourself. Do what you can.” from the I Ching
See Related posts
Meditation: LA847-19950816-Unity-Your Magnetic Field of the Total Self Will Become One
All of the following contribute to the flow of what’s happening in recent readings:
Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You
Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You
Still relevant:
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.
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above: K’an / The Abysmal, Water | |
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below: K’un / The Receptive, Earth | |
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THE WATERS on the surface of the earth flow together wherever they can, as for example in the ocean, where all the rivers come together. Symbolically this connotes holding together and the laws that regulate it. The same idea is suggested by the fact that all the lines of the hexagram except the fifth, the place of the ruler, are yielding. The yielding lines hold together because they are influenced by a man of strong will in the leading position, a man who is their centre of union. Moreover, this strong and guiding personality in turn holds together with the others, finding in them the complement of his own nature.
THE JUDGEMENT Holding together brings good fortune. WHAT IS required is that we unite with others, in order that all may complement and aid one another through holding together. But such holding together calls for a central figure around whom other persons may unite. To become a centre of influence holding people together is a grave matter and fraught with great responsibility. It requires greatness of spirit, consistency, and strength. Therefore let him who wishes to gather others about him ask himself whether he is equal to the undertaking, for anyone attempting the task without a real calling for it only makes confusion worse than if no union at all had taken place. |
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THE IMAGE On the earth is water: WATER FILLS UP all the empty places on the earth and clings fast to it. The social organisation of ancient China was based on this principle of the holding together of dependents and rulers. Water flows to unite with water, because all parts of it are subject to the same laws. So too should human society hold together through a community of interests that allows each individual to feel himself a member of a whole. The central power of a social organisation must see to it that every member finds that his true interest lies in holding together with it, as was the case in the paternal relationship between king and vassals in ancient China. |
“Experience will give you power” – Yogi Bhajan
Experience will give you power; it will give you grit; it will give you confidence; it’ll give you to be you.”
~SSSji — January 5th, 1994
via Hari Simran Kaur Khalsa
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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“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: “Wait, allow a new situation to form, witness, join the flow. Allow random encounters. Engage kindly with people. Be helpful. You will help bring people together.” from the I Ching
Wait, allow a new situation to form, witness, join the flow. Allow random encounters. Engage kindly with people. Be helpful. You will help bring people together.
See the previous reading: Today: “You are in a position to help others without diminishing yourself. Do what you can.” from the I Ching
See the previous preivous reading: Today: “When you are in the flow, be prepared to receive everything that you need to accomplish your good works. That’s how it works.” from the I Ching
See Related posts
All of the following contribute to the flow of what’s happening in recent readings:
Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You
Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You
Still relevant:
See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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 in the fifth place means:A yellow robe. A yellow lower garment brings supreme good fortune.
Fresco painting of Flora, or Primavera, found in the luxurious resort of Stabiae in the Bay of Naples |
| Yellow is the color of the earth and of the middle; it is the symbol of that which is reliable and genuine. The lower garment is inconspicuously decorated – the symbol of aristocratic reserve. When anyone is called upon to work in a prominent but not independent position, true success depends on the utmost discretion. A man’s genuineness and refinement should not reveal themselves directly; they should express themselves only indirectly as an effect from within. |
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.
Today: “We have to understand the basic fundamental existence of ours – to understand the spirit.” – Yogi Bhajan
“We have to understand the basic fundamental existence of ours – to understand the spirit. Once you understand the spirit you are all right.” Yogi Bhajan
Meditation: M043-19890623 See Your Soul Within Your Third Eye
See related posts
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: “Do not be misled by the blind enthusiasm of your countrymen. See for yourself the truth, the seeds, the motivation behind the latest trends. You cannot trust the wily schemes of the manipulators and powerful grifters. Follow your own intuition.” from the I Ching
Do not be misled by the blind enthusiasm of your countrymen. See for yourself the truth, the seeds, the motivation behind the latest trends. You cannot trust the wily schemes of the manipulators and powerful grifters. Follow your own intuition.
From Confucius:
To know the seeds, that is divine indeed. In his association with those above him, the superior man does not flatter. In his association with those beneath him, he is not arrogant. For he knows the seeds. The seeds are the first imperceptible beginning of movement, the first trace of good fortune (or misfortune) that shows itself. The superior man perceives the seeds and immediately takes action. He does not wait even a whole day. In the Yi Jing it is said: “Firm as a rock. Not a whole day. Perseverance brings good fortune.”
Firm as a rock, what need of a whole day?
The judgement can be known.
The superior man knows what is hidden and what is evident.
He knows weakness, he knows strength as well.
Hence the myriads look up to him.
See: Today: “Compassion is nothing but realization of adjustable values. Nobody is bad.” – Yogi Bhajan
and then this: Tao Te Ching – Verse 75 – When taxes are too high, people go hungry. When the government is too intrusive, people lose their spirit
See the previous reading: Today: “When you are in the flow, be prepared to receive everything that you need to accomplish your good works. That’s how it works.” from the I Ching
See the previous prisious reading: Today: “You are in a position to help others without diminishing yourself. Do what you can.” from the I Ching
See Related posts
All of the following contribute to the flow of what’s happening in recent readings:
Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You
Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You
Still relevant:
See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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.
Six in the second place means:
Firm as a rock, but only when necessary and appropriate.
This course brings good fortune.
Firm as a rock. Not a whole day.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
Matterhorn
This describes a person who does not allow himself to be misled by any illusions. While others are letting themselves be dazzled by enthusiasm, he recognizes with perfect clarity the first signs of the time. Thus he neither flatters those above nor neglects those beneath him; he is as firm as a rock. When the first sign of discord appears, he knows the right moment for withdrawing and does not delay even for a day. Perseverance in such conduct will bring good fortune. Kongfu (Confucius) says about this line:
To know the seeds, that is divine indeed. In his association with those above him, the superior man does not flatter. In his association with those beneath him, he is not arrogant. For he knows the seeds. The seeds are the first imperceptible beginning of movement, the first trace of good fortune (or misfortune) that shows itself. The superior man perceives the seeds and immediately takes action. He does not wait even a whole day. In the Yi Jing it is said: “Firm as a rock. Not a whole day. Perseverance brings good fortune.”
Firm as a rock, what need of a whole day?
The judgement can be known.
The superior man knows what is hidden and what is evident.
He knows weakness, he knows strength as well.
Hence the myriads look up to him.
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.
Today: “Compassion is nothing but realization of adjustable values. Nobody is bad.” – Yogi Bhajan
“Compassion is nothing but realization of adjustable values. Nobody is bad. If one does not act or understand well, or he is limited, you should have compassion, not negativity. Why does somebody harm you? Why does somebody slander you? Because he doesn’t know any better.” Yogi Bhajan
Meditation: NM0163 – Feel God Within You, The Kindness in You
See related posts
Tao Te Ching – Verse 75 – When taxes are too high, people go hungry. When the government is too intrusive, people lose their spirit
Tao Te Ching – Verse 75
When taxes are too high,
people go hungry.
When the government is too intrusive,
people lose their spirit.
Act for the people’s benefit.
Trust them; leave them alone.
Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 75 – When taxes are too high, people go hungry. When the government is too intrusive, people lose their spirit”
Today: “When you are in the flow, be prepared to receive everything that you need to accomplish your good works. That’s how it works.” from the I Ching
When you are in the flow, be prepared to receive everything that you need to accomplish your good works. That’s how it works.
and then this: Tao Te Ching – Verse 74 – If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
See the previous reading: Today: “You are in a position to help others without diminishing yourself. Do what you can.” from the I Ching
See the previous previous reading: Today: “Though all around is suffering, utilize the grace bestowed on you to make some things right.” from the I Ching
See Related posts
Meditation: LA860-960131-Increase the Flow of Earth Within You
Recap: Healing Intensive at Park Slope Brooklyn June 2-3, 2017
All of the following contribute to the flow of what’s happening in recent readings:
Meditation: NM142 19940615 – Bless the Planet Earth and Let the Heavens Descend in You
Still relevant:
See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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 second place means:
Your work is reverently admired by another who makes a substantial contribution to your cause.
This patron is deeply spiritual, and can benefit you in ways beyond the material world.
Someone does indeed increase him;
Ten pairs of tortoises cannot oppose it.
Constant perseverance brings good fortune.
The king presents him before God.
Good fortune.
A man brings about real increase by producing in himself the conditions for it, that is, through receptivity to and love of the good. Thus the thing for which he strives comes of itself, with the inevitability of natural law. Where increase is thus in harmony with the highest laws of the universe1, it cannot be prevented by any constellation of accidents. But everything depends on his not letting unexpected good fortune make him heedless; he must make it his own through inner strength and steadfastness. Then he acquires meaning before God and man, and can accomplish something for the good of the world.
1. When Douglas Adams wrote The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, he added a central joke which has become more famous over the years than the novel itself: “The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42.”
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.
Today: “When man leaves this earth, with him goes nothing but his will, his inspiration, and his consciousness” Yogi Bhajan
“When man leaves this earth, with him goes nothing but his will, his inspiration, and his consciousness; his aim and his object; what he looks at as a being.” Yogi Bhajan
Meditation: LA007-780117-SADHANA YOJINA-To Infinity Upon Death