Tao Te Ching – Verse 11 – We work with being, but non-being is what we use.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 11

We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the inner space
that makes it livable.

We work with being,
but non-being is what we use.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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Thirty spokes join in one hub
In its emptiness, there is the function of a vehicle
Mix clay to create a container
In its emptiness, there is the function of a container
Cut open doors and windows to create a room
In its emptiness, there is the function of a room

Therefore, that which exists is used to create benefit
That which is empty is used to create functionality

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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It is the gaps that define.
That definition is perfect.
Ornate vessels hold water —
So it is Nothingness which has been defined, not the vessel.
The unwise have been tricked.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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from I Ching Online

Tao Te Ching – Verse 10 – Can you coax your mind from its wandering and keep to the original oneness?

Tao Te Ching – Verse 10

Can you coax your mind from its wandering
and keep to the original oneness?
Can you let your body become
supple as a newborn child’s?
Can you cleanse your inner vision
until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them
without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters
by letting events take their course?
Can you step back from you own mind
and thus understand all things?

Giving birth and nourishing,
having without possessing,
acting with no expectations,
leading and not trying to control:
this is the supreme virtue.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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In holding the soul and embracing oneness
Can one be steadfast, without straying?
In concentrating the energy and reaching relaxation
Can one be like an infant?
In cleaning away the worldly view
Can one be without imperfections?
In loving the people and ruling the nation
Can one be without manipulation?
In the heavenly gate’s opening and closing
Can one hold to the feminine principle?
In understanding clearly all directions
Can one be without intellectuality?

Bearing it, rearing it
Bearing without possession
Achieving without arrogance
Raising without domination
This is called the Mystic Virtue

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Be empty and know effulgent Zero.
Breathe softly and know Blissful Nothingness.
Stop looking, then see what was hidden.
Love in secret.
Watch without touching.
Rule All while resting in Zero.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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from I Ching Online

“Wait to take on a bold venture until you are ready.  Be prepared.” – Today’s Reading

Wait to take on a bold venture until you are ready.  Be prepared.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 9 – Better to stop in time than to fill to the brim

“A Teacher is not judged by his popularity, his richness, his money, his knowledge, his essence. A Teacher is judged by his character.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation:  TCH36-1-A00713 – Pain and Ecstasy – Triangle of Knowledge

Meditation: M0512-19890312 – For Mastery of Time and Space

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The teacher

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Look closely at the consequences of your actions. That will show you what is to come.”

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Right now it’s better to retreat a little than to move boldly forward. Aggressive behavior will prove more folly than courageous. Gather strength and wait for the right time to act.”

A letter to a friend

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

62 – Sixty-Two.  Hsiao Kuo / Lying Low

Thunder high on the Mountain, active passivity:
The Superior Person is unsurpassed in his ability to remain small.
In a time for humility, he is supremely modest.
In a time of mourning, he uplifts with somber reverence.
In a time of want, he is resourcefully frugal.

When a bird flies too high, its song is lost.
Rather than push upward now, it is best to remain below.
This will bring surprising good fortune, if you keep to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is no profit to striving here.
To be content with oneself is the greatest success imaginable.
The enlightened person has nothing to prove to himself or others, and thus may always operate from a position of sincerity, with no pretense or posturing.
His humility is guileless simplicity.
His mourning is selfless compassion.
His frugality is an unshakeable faith that he is but a conduit, letting what is needed flow through him to others, with no loss to himself.

Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:
The bird meets with misfortune through flying.

Bird Leaving Nest

Bird Leaving Nest – Larry Moore

A bird ought to remain in the nest till it is fledged. If it tries to fly before this, it invites misfortune. Extraordinary measures should be resorted to only when all else fails. At first we ought to put up with traditional ways as long as possible; otherwise we exhaust ourselves and our energy and still achieve nothing.
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.

“A Teacher is not judged by his popularity, his richness, his money, his knowledge, his essence. A Teacher is judged by his character.” – Yogi Bhajan

“A Teacher is not judged by his popularity, his richness, his money, his knowledge, his essence. A Teacher is judged by his character. If under all temptations he can fly through, then he knows how to fly.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation:  LA372 831212 Corruption and character

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 9 – Better to stop in time than to fill to the brim

Tao Te Ching – Verse 9

Better to stop in time than to fill to the brim.
Hone a blade to the sharpest point, and it will soon be blunt.
Fill your house with gold and jade, and no one can protect it.
Be prideful about wealth and position, and you bring disasters upon yourself. Retire when the work is done.
This is the way of heaven.

from the Tao Te Ching

Translation by Tolbert McCarroll Comments and layout by Thomas Knierim

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from I Ching Online

 

“Look closely at the consequences of your actions.  That will show you what is to come.  ” – Today’s Reading

Look closely at the consequences of your actions.  That will show you what is to come.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 8 – The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to.

“When you teach, you must teach with confrontation, not by stimulation.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: Drib Dhristi Lochina Karma

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

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

The teacher

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Right now it’s better to retreat a little than to move boldly forward. Aggressive behavior will prove more folly than courageous. Gather strength and wait for the right time to act.”

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “Great changes are happening. It’s best to let them happen rather than resisting. This is a transformation of what is rather than a reset.”

A letter to a friend

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

10 – Ten.  Lü / Worrying the Tiger

Heaven shines down on the Marsh which reflects it back imperfectly:
Though the Superior Man carefully discriminates between high and low, and acts in accord with the flow of the Tao, there are still situations where a risk must be taken.

You tread upon the tail of the tiger.
Not perceiving you as a threat, the startled tiger does not bite.
Success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You have reached a perilous point in your journey.
This is a real gamble — not a maneuver, not a calculated risk.
The outcome is uncertain.
If it goes as you hope, you will gain — but if it turns against you it will cause serious injury, at least to your plans.
The best tack is extreme caution and a healthy respect for the danger involved.

Nine at the top means:

At your journey’s end, look back and examine the path you chose.
If you find no causes for shame, only good works that make you shine, you may take this as an omen of the certainty of great reward.

Look to your conduct and weigh the favorable signs.
When everything is fulfilled, supreme good fortune comes.

Fruit of labor

‘Enjoying the Fruit of Labor’ – Keith Martin Johns

The work is ended. If we want to know whether good fortune will follow, we must look back on our conduct and its consequences. If the effects are good, then good fortune is certain. No one knows himself. It is only by the consequences of his actions, by the fruit of his labors, that a man can judge what he is to expect.

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.

“When you teach, you must teach with confrontation, not by stimulation.” – Yogi Bhajan

“When you teach, you must teach with confrontation, not by stimulation. When you teach by stimulation, doubts keep floating. But when you teach by confrontation, it is an either/or situation. In that situation at least doubt is dispelled. That’s the advantage of confrontation.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: 760422 – Balancing Projection with Intention

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 8 – The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 8

The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all things without trying to.
It is content with the low places that people disdain.
Thus it is like the Tao.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 8 – The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to.”

“Right now it’s better to retreat a little than to move boldly forward.  Aggressive behavior will prove more folly than courageous.  Gather strength and wait for the right time to act.” – Today’s Reading

Right now it’s better to retreat a little than to move boldly forward.  Aggressive behavior will prove more folly than courageous.  Gather strength and wait for the right time to act.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 7 – The Tao is infinite, eternal.

“You know, the only thing that goes wrong with us is that we forget. ” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA046 – 780614 – Hari Shabad Meditation – Use the Wind to Produce Trance and Dissolve Negativity

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

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The teacher

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “Great changes are happening. It’s best to let them happen rather than resisting. This is a transformation of what is rather than a reset.”

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “There exists an unstable equilibrium. If things fall apart, it will happen quickly. Pay close attention to your safety and wellbeing.”

A letter to a friend

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

7 – Seven.  Shih / Recruiting Allies

Deep Water beneath the Earth’s surface:
Untapped resources are available.
The Superior Person nourishes and instructs the people, building a loyal, disciplined following.
Good fortune.
No mistakes if you follow a course led by experience.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You must gain support from others.
Find a way to make others want to see your objectives met as badly as you want it.
How can they profit from the attainment of this goal?
Can you command confidence that you are just the person that can bring this plan to fruition?

Six in the fourth place means:

It is never a mistake to retreat to a stronger position.

The army retreats. No blame.

US army retreat

US army retreat

In the face of a superior enemy, with whom it would be hopeless to engage in battle, an orderly retreat is the only correct procedure, because it will save the army from defeat and disintegration. It is by no means a sign of courage or strength to insist upon engaging in a hopeless struggle regardless of circumstances.
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.

“You know, the only thing that goes wrong with us is that we forget. ” – Yogi Bhajan

“You know, the only thing that goes wrong with us is that we forget. Look at the word “forget.” “For-get. What do you mean by “get”? And what do you mean by “for”? “For” means “to.” “To get.” So you forget that Giveth is Giveth, and has been given. So, “to get” you “forget” you are divine. I’m not joking. Do you understand why you forget? What for? To get what? What happens when you are “to get?” You forget that you are getting that which you are getting, not what God is giving you. When God gives you something, you won’t forget.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA724-920328 Reorganize Your Head, Be Positive, Lose Your Inherited Anger

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 7 – The Tao is infinite, eternal.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 7

The Tao is infinite, eternal.
Why is it eternal?
It was never born;
thus it can never die.
Why is it infinite?
It has no desires for itself;
thus it is present for all beings. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 7 – The Tao is infinite, eternal.”

“Great changes are happening.  It’s best to let them happen rather than resisting. This is a transformation of what is rather than a reset.” – Today’s Reading

Great changes are happening.  It’s best to let them happen rather than resisting. This is a transformation of what is rather than a reset.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 6 – The Tao is called the Great Mother: empty yet inexhaustible, it gives birth to infinite worlds.

Today: “What is kundalini? The energy of the glandular system combines with the nervous system to become more sensitive…” Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA779 – 19930916 – Kriya to Create a Miracle for Yourself

Meditation:  NM0426 – 20011117 – Self Transformation

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The teacher

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “There exists an unstable equilibrium. If things fall apart, it will happen quickly. Pay close attention to your safety and wellbeing.”

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – “We should appreciate experience as our enduring source of faith and growth and all those who have grown with us. We are the teachers now.”

A letter to a friend

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading

11 – Eleven.  T’ai / Peace

Heaven and Earth embrace, giving birth to Peace.
The Superior Person serves as midwife, presenting the newborn gift to the people.

The small depart; the great approach.
Success.
Good fortune.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

It doesn’t get any better than this.
Everything is in harmony, all obstacles are cleared from your Path, anything you could ask for is right at hand.
This is the Elysian Fields, the Garden of Eden.
The only thing wrong with Peace is that it, too, must change.
Whether you are in this state of harmony now or it is predicted for your future, recognize it as your greatest opportunity to build your resources against less harmonious times.

Six at the top means:

The wall falls back into the moat.
Use no army now.
Make your commands known within your own town.
Perseverance brings humiliation.

The change alluded to in the middle of the hexagram has begun to take place. The wall of the town sinks back into the moat from which it was dug. The hour of doom is at hand. When matters have come to this pass, we should submit to fate and not try to stave it off by violent resistance. The one recourse left us is to hold our own within our intimate circle. Should we persevere in trying to resist the evil in the usual way, our collapse would only be more complete, and humiliation would be the result.

18 – Eighteen.  Ku / Repairing the Damage

Winds sweep through the Mountain valley:
The Superior Person sweeps away corruption and stagnation by stirring up the people and strengthening their spirit.

Supreme success.
Before crossing to the far shore, consider the move for three days.
After crossing, devote three days of hard labor to damage control.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are blessed with an opportunity to resuscitate that which others have abandoned as beyond repair.
This ruin wasn’t caused by evil intention, but by indifference to decay.
Just by addressing yourself to the problem, you exhibit a new awareness, a fresh perspective.
This is a time of recovery, renewal, regeneration.

Today: “What is kundalini? The energy of the glandular system combines with the nervous system to become more sensitive…” Yogi Bhajan

“What is kundalini? The energy of the glandular system combines with the nervous system to become more sensitive so that the totality of the brain perceives signals and interprets them, so that the effect of the sequence of the cause becomes very clear to the man. In other words, man becomes totally, wholesomely aware. That is why we call it the yoga of awareness. And as the rivers end up in the same ocean, all yoga ends up by raising the kundalini in the man. What is the kundalini? The creative potential of the man.” Yogi Bhajan

Meditation:  M060 901121 Awaken Kundalini

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What else Yogi Bhajan said

Tao Te Ching – Verse 6 – The Tao is called the Great Mother: empty yet inexhaustible, it gives birth to infinite worlds.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 6

The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.

It is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.
Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 6 – The Tao is called the Great Mother: empty yet inexhaustible, it gives birth to infinite worlds.”

“There exists an unstable equilibrium.  If things fall apart, it will happen quickly.  Pay close attention to your safety and wellbeing.” – Today’s Reading

There exists an unstable equilibrium.  If things fall apart, it will happen quickly.  Pay close attention to your safety and wellbeing.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 5 – The Tao doesn’t take sides; it gives birth to both good and evil.

Today: “Man and his manners are a very basic situation which we must understand.” Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Meditation:  LA372 831212 Corruption and character

Related posts

The teacher

Previous Readings:

Today: I Ching – Previous previous reading – “We should appreciate experience as our enduring source of faith and growth and all those who have grown with us. We are the teachers now.”

Today: I Ching – Previous Reading – You can coexist and even ally with powerful allies and neighbors. Use discretion so that you don’t incur wrath.”

A letter to a friend

Read the texts translated from the I Ching for today's reading
63 – Sixty-Three.  Chi Chi / Aftermath

Boiling Water over open Flame, one might extinguish The other:
The Superior Person takes a 360 degree view of the situation and prepares for any contingency.

Success in small matters if you stay on course.
Early good fortune can end in disorder.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Victory at the expense of another is a merciless taskmaster.
The precarious balance here is reflected in the lines of the hexagram: each of the yin lines rests upon a strong yang line — a seemingly perfect arrangement.
But the scales will be tipped with the change of any one line.
And there WILL be change.
Tireless vigilance and an answer to every challenge — that is the uneasy Seat of Power occupied by the conqueror.

Six in the fourth place means:

The finest clothes turn to rags.
Be careful all day long.

Rags

In a time of flowering culture, an occasional convulsion is bound to occur, uncovering a hidden evil within society and at first causing a great sensation. But since the situation is favorable on the whole, such evils can easily be glossed over and concealed from the public. Then everything is forgotten and peace apparently reigns complacently once more. However, to the thoughtful man, such occurrences are grave omens that he does not neglect. This is the only way of averting evil consequences.
49 – Forty-Nine.  Ko / Revolution

Fire ignites within the Lake, defying conditions that would deny it birth or survival:
The Superior Person reads the Signs of the Times and makes the Season apparent to all.

The support you need will come only after the deed is done.
Renewed forces, however, will provide fresh energy for exceptional progress.
Persevere.
All differences vanish.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

A revolutionary Change must be made forcibly.
There is no negotiating with the Established Order.
Perfect timing is essential.
Let the abuse of power become apparent and oppressive to those around you before making your move.
Lay the groundwork, sow the seeds for Revolution without tipping your hand prematurely.
You will need a strong foundation, because you will have to bring about this necessary change alone.
You cannot count on popular support, so you must wait until there is massive dissent.
Then the avenue for your assault will be cleared.

Today: “Man and his manners are a very basic situation which we must understand.” Yogi Bhajan

Man and his manners are a very basic situation which we must understand. We must look at things the way God is looking at things. Our purity lies in our originality. Our intuition lies in our innocence.
Yogi Bhajan

Meditation: LA010 – 19780210 – Gobinda – Project to the Infinite

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