Category: Taoism

Meditation: NM190-19951031-Connect Yourself to the Reality

Review of Meditation and Sat Nam Rasayan® Healing Workshop with Hari Nam Singh 11/27/2016 – “Division and Unity”

Review of Meditation and Sat Nam Rasayan® Healing Workshop with Hari Nam Singh 05/24/2015 – “Healing and the Radiant Body”

Previous reading: “Revolutionary change must be initiated now by means of inspiration rather than by force. Use your personal radiance in your relations to communicate the urgent need and initiate the practical means for a radical departure from a very flawed social structure and its hierarchy.”

Previous previous reading: “Look beyond your acquaintances, tribe and party. Recognize and cultivate the farthest connections of your humanity.”

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 33 – Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.”

50 – Fifty. Ting / The Caldron

Fire rises hot and bright from the Wood beneath the sacrificial caldron:
The Superior Person positions himself correctly within the flow of Cosmic forces.

Supreme Accomplishment.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Your needs are coming into harmony with the requirements of the Cosmos.
Blending brilliantly with the Dance of Life, you are becoming an actual element of Cosmic Law.
Your goals will now be realized because you no longer cut against the Cosmic grain; you are no longer swimming against the flow of the Tao.
You are acquiring an intuitive sense of what can and cannot be, and aligning your efforts accordingly.

Six in the fifth place means:

The caldron you cook in has yellow handles and golden carrying rings.
Good fortune if you keep to this course.

The ting has yellow handles, golden carrying rings.
Perseverance furthers.

Bronze cauldron

Here we have, in a ruling position, a man who is approachable and modest in nature. As a result of this attitude he succeeds in finding strong and able helpers who complement and aid him in his work. Having achieved this attitude, which requires constant self-abnegation, it is important for him to hold to it and not to let himself be led astray.

28 – Twenty-Eight. Ta Kuo / Critical Mass

The Flood rises above the tallest Tree:
Amidst a rising tide of human folly, the Superior Person retires to higher ground, renouncing his world without looking back.

Any direction is better than where you now stand.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Several high-priority concerns demand immediate attention.
All are crucial.
None will be denied.
Yet some demand the denial of others.
Like two atoms seeking to occupy the same space, these irresistible forces and immovable objects threaten to ignite a cataclysm that could irreversibly alter your world.
This is no time for fatal heroics.
You are at Ground Point Zero.
Remove yourself from this situation without delay.
Find sanctuary.
Later you may deal with these concerns on your own terms, from a position of strength.

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 33 – Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 33

Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.

If you realize that you have enough,
you are truly rich.
If you stay in the center
and embrace death with your whole heart,
you will endure forever.

“Revolutionary change must be initiated now by means of inspiration rather than by force. Use your personal radiance in your relations to communicate the urgent need and initiate the practical means for a radical departure from a very flawed social structure and its hierarchy.” – Today’s Reading

Revolutionary change must be initiated now by means of inspiration rather than by force. Use your personal radiance in your relations to communicate the urgent need and initiate the practical means for a radical departure from a very flawed social structure and its hierarchy.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 32 – The Tao can’t be perceived. Smaller than an electron, it contains uncountable galaxies.

Today: “You can achieve what you want, just relate to your own breath of life. That is God in you.” Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: NM190-19951031-Connect Yourself to the Reality

Review of Meditation and Sat Nam Rasayan® Healing Workshop with Hari Nam Singh 05/24/2015 – “Healing and the Radiant Body”

Meditation & Healing Workshops at Park Slope Brooklyn May 15-16, 2015

Previous reading: “Look beyond your acquaintances, tribe and party. Recognize and cultivate the farthest connections of your humanity.”

Previous previous reading: “Escape the best you can the impending upheaval. Stay safe. What is lost will return to you.”

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 32 – The Tao can’t be perceived. Smaller than an electron, it contains uncountable galaxies.”

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.

Nine at the beginning [yang at bottom] means:

Wrapped in the hide of a yellow cow.

‘Yellow Cow’ – Franz Marc (1880-1916)

Changes ought to be undertaken only when there is nothing else to be done. Therefore at first the utmost restraint is necessary. One must become firm in one’s mind, control oneself — yellow is the color of the mean, and the cow is the symbol of docility — and refrain from doing anything for the time being, because any premature offensive will bring evil results.

31 – Thirty-One. Hsien / Attraction

The joyous Lake is cradled by the tranquil Mountain:
The Superior Person takes great satisfaction in encouraging others along their journey.
He draws them to him with his welcoming nature and genuine interest.

Supreme success.
This course leads to marriage.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

There is no greater natural law in the Cosmos than Attraction.
From the magnetic pull of an atom’s nucleus to the centrifugal force that spirals a galaxy, the face of the universe is shaped by Attraction.
On a human scale, it is Attraction that fuels procreation and furthers our species.
Yet it is also Attraction that spawns greed and covetousness, threatening our extinction.
Attraction is the underlying force of the situation in question.
You are refined or debased by the objects of your desire.
What gravitational pull are you now under?
Around what sphere of influence do you circle?
Can you use your own ability to attract?

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 32 – The Tao can’t be perceived. Smaller than an electron, it contains uncountable galaxies.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 32

The Tao can’t be perceived.
Smaller than an electron,
it contains uncountable galaxies.

If powerful men and women
could remain centered in the Tao,
all things would be in harmony.
The world would become a paradise.
All people would be at peace,
and the law would be written in their hearts.

“Look beyond your acquaintances, tribe and party. Recognize and cultivate the farthest connections of your humanity.” – Today’s Reading

Look beyond your acquaintances, tribe and party. Recognize and cultivate the farthest connections of your humanity.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 31 – Weapons are the tools of violence; all decent men detest them.

Today: “You must have a command of the intuitive self to know exactly what you are” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: NM190-19951031-Connect Yourself to the Reality

Meditation & Healing Workshops at Park Slope Brooklyn May 15-16, 2015

Previous reading: “Escape the best you can the impending upheaval. Stay safe. What is lost will return to you.”

Previous previous reading: “Make a singular bold move for all to see. When the time is right they will follow suit. It is a time of chaos, so change is in the air.”

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 31 – Weapons are the tools of violence; all decent men detest them.”

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.

Six in the fourth place means:

He scatters his group far and wide.
Those who return will be of firmer resolve and leaner, stronger fibre.
An ingenious move.
He dissolves his bond with his group.¹
Supreme good fortune.
Dispersion leads in turn to accumulation.
This is something that ordinary men do not think of.

When we are working at a task that affects the general welfare, we must leave all private friendships out of account. Only by rising above party interests can we achieve something decisive. He who has the courage thus to forego what is near wins what is afar. But in order to comprehend this standpoint, one must have a wide view of the interrelationships of life, such as only unusual men attain.

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.

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 31 – Weapons are the tools of violence; all decent men detest them.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 31

Weapons are the tools of violence;
all decent men detest them.

Weapons are the tools of fear;
a decent man will avoid them
except in the direst necessity
and, if compelled, will use them
only with the utmost restraint.

“Escape the best you can the impending upheaval. Stay safe. What is lost will return to you.” – Today’s Reading

Escape the best you can the impending upheaval. Stay safe. What is lost will return to you.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 30 – Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men doesn’t try to force issues or defeat enemies by force of arms

Today: “You were alive (in the womb) by the navel point. So now you combine the navel with the breath. If you can combine that, you can conquer death.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA015 780227 – To Bring Swift and Powerful Change

Meditation: LA950 A00214 20000214 Develop Self-Reliance

Previous reading: “Make a singular bold move for all to see. When the time is right they will follow suit. It is a time of chaos, so change is in the air.”

Previous previous readying: What you are being liberated from is your expectations. Accept the harsh reality and find your place in it. The strength in your durability lies in your adaptability.”

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 30 – Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men doesn’t try to force issues or defeat enemies by force of arms”

51 – Fifty-One. Chên / Thunder

Thunder echoes upon Thunder, commanding reverence for its father Heaven:
In awe of Heaven’s majestic power, the Superior Person looks within and sets his life in order.
Thunder mingles with startled screams of terror for a hundred miles around.
As the people nervously laugh at their own fright, the devout presents the sacrificial chalice with nary a drop of wine spilt.
Deliverance

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

A thunderbolt of Cosmic judgement crashes to earth.
For the common person, it’s just a momentary fright soon forgotten, its warning unfathomed and unheeded.
But to one who understands its significance, this thunder is a signal to awaken.
Centering the Self, seeking balance, the enlightened person will respect and align himself with this Higher Power, while his fellows remain subject to the whims of every passing storm.

Six in the second place means:

This thunder erupts from the ground beneath your feet, delivering real danger.
Abandon your belongings and climb to higher ground.
Don’t grieve over treasures left behind.
They will return to you in seven days.

Shock comes bringing danger.
A hundred thousand times
You lose your treasures
And must climb the nine hills.
Do not go in pursuit of them.
After seven days you will get them back again.

Nine hills

This pictures a situation in which a shock endangers a man and he suffers great losses. Resistance would be contrary to the movement of the time and for this reason unsuccessful. Therefore he must simply retreat to heights inaccessible to the threatening forces of danger. He must accept his loss of property without worrying too much about it. When the time of shock and upheaval that has robbed him of his possessions has passed, he will get them back again without going in pursuit of them.

54 – Fifty-Four. Kuei Mei / A Loveless Marriage

The Thunderstorm inseminates the swelling Lake, then moves on where the Lake cannot follow:
The Superior Person views passing trials in the light of Eternal Truths.
Any action will prove unfortunate.
Nothing furthers.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is at best a Marriage of Convenience.
You have found yourself in desperate straits, a position of weakness, and you are tempted to pay dearly for a remedy.
A drowning man isn’t picky about who throws him a rope.
The rescue offered to you now is undesirable.
It may pull you out of this sticky situation, but it will cause even greater predicaments down the road.
Don’t obligate yourself in this way.
You are selling your future for a quick fix today.

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 30 – Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men doesn’t try to force issues or defeat enemies by force of arms

Tao Te Ching – Verse 30

Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men
doesn’t try to force issues
or defeat enemies by force of arms.
For every force there is a counterforce.
Violence, even well intentioned,
always rebounds upon oneself.

“Make a singular bold move for all to see. When the time is right they will follow suit. It is a time of chaos, so change is in the air.” – Today’s Reading

Make a singular bold move for all to see. When the time is right they will follow suit. It is a time of chaos, so change is in the air.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 29 – Do you want to improve the world? I don’t think it can be done.

Today: “You were alive (in the womb) by the navel point. So now you combine the navel with the breath. If you can combine that, you can conquer death.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA015 780227 – To Bring Swift and Powerful Change

Meditation: NM091 – 19921110 – Self Emboldenment, Engagement, Vision

Previous reading: “What you are being liberated from is your expectations. Accept the harsh reality and find your place in it. The strength in your durability lies in your adaptability.”

Previous previous readying: “Let go of what you have been clinging to. Give up trying to control. Seek happiness instead.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 28 – Know the male, yet keep to the female

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:

Nine in the fifth place means:

You transform into a tiger before their eyes.
Your very being commands an awe that makes consulting the oracle unnecessary.

The great man changes like a tiger.
Even before he questions the oracle
He is believed.

Tiger camouflage

A tigerskin, with its highly visible black stripes on a yellow ground, shows its distinct pattern from afar. It is the same with a revolution brought about by a great man: large, clear guiding lines become visible, understandable to everyone. Therefore he need not first consult the oracle, for he wins the spontaneous support of the people.

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.

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 29 – Do you want to improve the world? I don’t think it can be done.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 29

Do you want to improve the world?
I don’t think it can be done.

The world is sacred.
It can’t be improved.
If you tamper with it, you’ll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you’ll lose it. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 29 – Do you want to improve the world? I don’t think it can be done.”

“What you are being liberated from is your expectations. Accept the harsh reality and find your place in it. The strength in your durability lies in your adaptability.” – Today’s Reading

What you are being liberated from is your expectations. Accept the harsh reality and find your place in it. The strength in your durability lies in your adaptability.

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.

Today: “The navel point is sometimes misunderstood, but it is the most active point in the entire body.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: NM0336 – For Inner Strength

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

Previous reading: “Let go of what you have been clinging to. Give up trying to control. Seek happiness instead.”

Previous previous readying: “You must contain the deluge of impressions that come from without. Rather than trying to sort everything, just include everything. What is important will emerge from the rest.”

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 28 – Know the male, yet keep to the female”

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:

The porter carries his burden in a gilded carriage well beyond his means.
This attracts not only the resentment of his peers, but bandits as well.
Injury and humiliation ahead.

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

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.

‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, circa 1665 – 1667 – Johannes Vermeer
Mauritshuis – The Hague – Holland

32 – Thirty-Two. Hêng / Durability

Arousing Thunder and penetrating Wind.
Close companions in any storm:
The Superior Person possesses a resiliency and durability that lets him remain firmly and faithfully on course.

Such constancy deserves success.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Endurance is the key to success in this situation.
However, durability is not synonymous with stone-like rigidity.
True resilience requires a flexibility that allows adaptation to any adverse condition, while still remaining true to the core.
Can you maintain your integrity under any circumstance?
Can you influence the situation without giving opposing forces anything to resist?
Then you will endure to reach your goal.

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 28 – Know the male, yet keep to the female

Tao Te Ching – Verse 28

Know the male,
yet keep to the female:
receive the world in your arms.
If you receive the world,
the Tao will never leave you
and you will be like a little child.

“Let go of what you have been clinging to. Give up trying to control. Seek happiness instead.” – Today’s Reading

Let go of what you have been clinging to. Give up trying to control. Seek happiness instead.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 27 – A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving

Today: “You have come here to be teachers. You should understand something about life. Life is not what you think.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

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

Meditation: LA958 A00413 Grace My Grace Is Me! 20000413

Previous reading: “You must contain the deluge of impressions that come from without. Rather than trying to sort everything, just include everything. What is important will emerge from the rest.”

Previous previous readying: “The collective intentions of the masses are obscure and unreliable. Do not rely on them for guidance. Know and follow your own heart. Those who do the same will join you.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 26 – The heavy is the root of the light. The unmoved is the source of all movement.

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:

Nine in the fifth place means:

He cries in pain as he sweats out this fever.
The king opens the royal stockpile to his subjects.
No mistake.

His loud cries are as dissolving as sweat.
Dissolution! A king abides without blame.

In times of general dispersion and separation, a great idea provides a focal point for the organization of recovery. Just as an illness reaches its crisis in a dissolving sweat, so a great and stimulating idea is a true salvation in times of general deadlock. It gives the people a rallying point – a man in a ruling position who can dispel misunderstandings.

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.

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 27 – A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving

Tao Te Ching – Verse 27

A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is.

Thus the Master is available to all people
and doesn’t reject anyone.
He is ready to use all situations
and doesn’t waste anything.
This is called embodying the light. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 27 – A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving”

“You must contain the deluge of impressions that come from without. Rather than trying to sort everything, just include everything. What is important will emerge from the rest.” – Today’s Reading

You must contain the deluge of impressions that come from without. Rather than trying to sort everything, just include everything. What is important will emerge from the rest.

This phenomenon is no accident. We are now, and will remain, under siege by disruptors and other bad actors. Experience will show us the truth.

Today: “You have come here to be teachers. You should understand something about life. Life is not what you think.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA935-980608- Connect the subconscious and intuition

Meditation: NM190-19951031-Connect Yourself to the Reality

Meditation: LA721-920325: for the Intuitive Intellect

Previous reading: The collective intentions of the masses are obscure and unreliable. Do not rely on them for guidance. Know and follow your own heart. Those who do the same will join you.”

Previous previous readying: “As you climb on your noble path to success, hold to your inspiration and aspiration. Forget to assess compulsively how you are doing.”