Month: June 2024

Lecture: The meaning of love

59 – Fifty-Nine. Huan / Dissolution


		above: Sun / The Gentle, Wind
		above: Sun / The Gentle, Wind


		below: K’an / The Abysmal, Water
		below: K’an / The Abysmal, Water

Wind blowing over water disperses it, dissolving it into foam and mist. This suggests that when a man’s vital energy is dammed up within him (indicated as a danger by the attribute of the lower trigram), gentleness serves to break up and dissolve the blockage.

THE JUDGEMENT

DISPERSION. Success.
The king approaches his temple.
It furthers one to cross the great water.
Perseverance furthers.

The text of this hexagram resembles that of Ts’ui, GATHERING TOGETHER (45). In the latter, the subject is the bringing together of elements that have been separated, as water collects in lakes upon the earth. Here the subject is the dispersing and dissolving of divisive egotism. DISPERSION shows the way, so to speak, that leads to gathering together. This explains the similarity of the two texts.
Religious forces are needed to overcome the egotism that divides men. The common celebration of the great sacrificial feasts and sacred rites, which gave expression simultaneously to the interrelation and social articulation of the family and state, was the means employed by the great rulers to unite men. The sacred music and the splendor of the ceremonies aroused a strong tide of emotion that was shared by all hearts in unison, and that awakened a consciousness of the common origin of all creatures. In this way disunity was overcome and rigidity dissolved. A further means to the same end is co-operation in great general undertakings that set a high goal for the will of the people; in the common concentration on this goal, all barriers dissolve, just as, when a boat is crossing a great stream, all hands must unite in a joint task.
But only a man who is himself free of all selfish ulterior considerations, and who perseveres in justice and steadfastness, is capable of so dissolving the hardness of egotism.

‘Dispersion’ – Ryan Bliss, 2007

THE IMAGE

The wind drives over the water:
The image of DISPERSION.
Thus the kings of old sacrificed to the Lord
And built temples.

In the autumn and winter, water begins to freeze into ice. When the warm breezes of spring come, the rigidity is dissolved, and the elements that have been dispersed in ice floes are reunited. It is the same with the minds of the people. Through hardness and selfishness the heart grows rigid, and this rigidity leads to separation from all others. Egotism and cupidity isolate men. Therefore the hearts of men must be seized by a devout emotion. They must be shaken by a religious awe in face of eternity – stirred with an intuition of the One Creator of all living beings, and united through the strong feeling of fellowship experienced in the ritual of divine worship.

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.

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

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

Tao Te Ching – Verse 58 – “If a country is governed with tolerance, the people are comfortable and honest”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 58

If a country is governed with tolerance,
the people are comfortable and honest.
If a country is governed with repression,
the people are depressed and crafty.
When the will to power is in charge,
the higher the ideals, the lower the results.
Try to make people happy,
and you lay the groundwork for misery.
Try to make people moral,
and you lay the groundwork for vice. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 58 – “If a country is governed with tolerance, the people are comfortable and honest””

Today: Do not simply take refuge in what you have secured for yourself. You must continue to engage the world and help along those less fortunate. – from the I Ching

Do not simply take refuge in what you have secured for yourself. You must continue to engage the world and help along those less fortunate.

This refers to a man who has already left the world and its tumult behind him. When the time of obstructions arrives, it might seem that the simplest thing for him to do would be to turn his back upon the world and take refuge in the beyond. But this road is barred to him. He must not seek his own salvation and abandon the world to its adversity. Duty calls him back once more into the turmoil of life. Precisely because of his experience and inner freedom, he is able to create something both great and complete that brings good fortune. And it is favorable to see the great man in alliance with whom one can achieve the work of rescue.

See Yogi Bhajan’s quote for today

Meditation: NM0406 – Know the Best of You – Share the Best with Others

Today: I Ching – Previous Readings

Today: I Ching – Previous Previous Readings

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?

Six at the top means:

Going leads to obstructions,
Coming leads to great good fortune.
It furthers one to see the great man.

‘The Doubting of Thomas’ – Caravaggio

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.

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

“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 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.”

Today: “After the age of 18, the wild tendencies of youth must be tamed with self discipline.” – from the I Ching

After the age of 18, the wild tendencies of youth must be tamed with self discipline.

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

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

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

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching

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.

Six in the fourth place means:

Attaching a plank of wood to the brow of this young bull will stunt the growth of his horns.
Such foresight brings great fortune.

The headboard of a young bull.
Great good fortune.

This line and the one following it are the two that tame the forward-pushing lower lines. Before a bull’s horns grow out, a headboard is fastened to its forehead, so that later when the horns appear they cannot do harm. A good way to restrain wild force is to forestall it. By so doing one achieves an easy and a great success.

14 – Fourteen. Ta Yu / Great Treasures

The Fire of clarity illuminates the Heavens to those below:
The Superior Person possesses great inner treasures — compassion, economy, and modesty.
These treasures allow the benevolent will of Heaven to flow through him outward to curb evil and to further good.

Supreme success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You have become an instrument of Heaven’s will, offering a balance in the world around you.
It is not swashbuckling prowess or uncanny talent that qualifies you for this office, but your simplest gifts — your modesty, your compassion, your economy.
Because you can see clearly who most needs a miracle, Heaven’s bounty is being put at your disposal.

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

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.”

Today: “Blind obstinacy to your view of how things are will bring grave misfortune. Wake up. Throw away your preconceptions.” – from the I Ching

Blind obstinacy to your view of how things are will bring grave misfortune. Wake up. Throw away your preconceptions.

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

Meditation: NM190-19951031-Connect Yourself to the Reality

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

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching

24 – Twenty-Four. Fu / Return

Thunder regenerates deep within Earth’s womb:
Sage rulers recognized that the end of Earth’s seasonal cycle was also the starting point of a new year and a time for dormancy.
They closed the passes at the Solstice to enforce a rest from commerce and activity.
The ruler himself did not travel.

You have passed this way before but you are not regressing.
This is progress, for the cycle now repeats itself, and this time you are aware that it truly is a cycle.
The return of old familiars is welcome.
You can be as sure of this cycle as you are that seven days bring the start of a new week.
Use this dormancy phase to plan which direction you will grow.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are about to experience a rebirth — about to be given another chance, a new lease on life.
You have persevered, gone the distance through an entire cycle — through the Spring of hope or new passion, through a Summer of growth and building, only to be sacrificed like the archetypal Harvest King at the Autumn reaping.
You lie dormant like seed beneath Winter snows now, healing and absorbing new energies in preparation for the new young Spring coming shortly to your life.

Six at the top means:

Missing the return. Misfortune.
Misfortune from within and without.
If armies are set marching in this way,
One will in the end suffer a great defeat,
Disastrous for the ruler of the country.
For ten years
It will not be possible to attack again.

Terracotta Army, Xian

If a man misses the right time for return, he meets with misfortune. The misfortune has its inner cause in a wrong attitude toward the world. The misfortune coming upon him from without results from this wrong attitude. What is pictured here is blind obstinacy and the judgement that is visited upon it.

43 – Forty-Three. Kuai / Breakthrough

A Deluge from Heaven:
The Superior Person rains fortune upon those in need, then moves on with no thought of the good he does.

The issue must be raised before an impartial authority.
Be sincere and earnest, despite the danger.
Do not try to force the outcome, but seek support where needed.
Set a clear goal.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Your iron will must come to the forefront now.
It will take great personal determination to resolve the situation in question.
Your adversary would love to force you into an angry display.
That would legitimize his opposition to you.
Such a berserker rage would drag you down to his level.
You must resolutely take a public stand against what he represents, but refuse to engage him.
Without compromise, you show others the way to higher ground.

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

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”

Today: “Choose relationships that will promote mutual growth and inspiration.” – from the I Ching

Choose relationships that will promote mutual growth and inspiration.

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

Meditation: LA741 – 921125 – Dance of Shiva

Meditation: LA007-780117-SADHANA YOJINA-To Infinity Upon Death

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching

17 – Seventeen. Sui / Following

Thunder beneath the Lake’s surface.
The Superior Person allows himself plenty of sheltered rest and recuperation while awaiting a clear sign to follow.

Supreme success.
No mistakes if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Thunder from the Lake — the lulling, rhythmic roar of the faithful tide, eternally wearing away the stone of the shoreline, forever obedient to the phases of the moon.
The pull of the moon on the tide is the Following called for now.
As mighty as the tide is in its own right, it is ever the puppet of the invisible, irresistible gravity of the moon.
What cyclical forces pull you along?
Are you futilely attempting to resist a natural attraction?

Six in the second place means:

Indulging the child, you lose the adult.

If one clings to the little boy,
One loses the strong man.

‘Air of Attraction’ – Michael Cheval

In friendships and close relationships an individual must make a careful choice. He surrounds himself either with good or with bad company; he cannot have both at once. If he throws himself away on unworthy friends he loses connection with people of intellectual power who could further him in the good.

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.

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

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”

Today: “Halt immediately with your plans. Proceeding invites disaster.” – from the I Ching

Halt immediately with your plans. Proceeding invites disaster.

A man wishes to make vigorous advance, but circumstances present an obstacle. He sees himself held back firmly. If he should attempt to force an advance, it would lead him into misfortune. Therefore it is better for him to compose himself and to wait until an outlet is offered for release of his stored-up energies.

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

Lecture and Meditation: Patience Pays – LA-19831020