Category: Taoism

Previous reading: “Retreat to a higher ground where the danger cannot reach you. Anything you lose will be returned to you.”

Previous previous reading: “Looking at your connection with all things, realize also your penetration with all communications and the expression of your being. Include all relations with now, past and future as well as with all beings, living and dead.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 35 – She who is centered in the Tao can go where she wishes, without danger.

12 – Twelve. P’i / Stagnation

Heaven and Earth move away from each other.
In the ensuing void, the small invade where the great have departed.
There is no common meeting ground, so the Superior Person must fall back on his inner worth and decline the rewards offered by the inferior invaders.

Difficult trials as you hold to your course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

It is natural to assume that, if Earth above Heaven forms the hexagram for Peace and Paradise, then the opposite configuration, with Heaven over Earth would represent the antithesis of Paradise, Hell.
Not so.
This hexagram is actually the Dark side of Peace, its unsavory byproduct, Stagnation.
In a time when most of our wants are provided, there is little need for the heroes, the artists, the great thinkers and innovators.
As they recede into the shadows, Idleness, Apathy, and Lassitude come to the forefront.
Peace has become boring, bland, unchallenging — Stagnant.
Now our attention turns to the quick fix, the instant celebrity, the fad, the one-nighter, the current buzz.
There is no room for depth.
If you are a passionate soul, you must wait for a better time to find kindred spirits.
In these times, they are only curious legends, bas-relief, dead poets.

Nine in the fourth place means:

He answers a Higher calling.
Whether he survives or whether he falls, he will serve as the inspiration to those who will overthrow the oppressive regime.

He who acts at the command of the highest
Remains without blame.
Those of like mind partake of the blessing.

Ohm

The time of standstill is nearing the point of change into its opposite. Whoever wishes to restore order must feel himself called to the task and have the necessary authority. A man who sets himself up as capable of creating order according to his own judgement could make mistakes and end in failure. But the man who is truly called to the task is favored by the conditions of the time, and all those of like mind will share in his blessing.

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.

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 36 – If you want to shrink something, you must first allow it to expand

Tao Te Ching – Verse 36

If you want to shrink something,
you must first allow it to expand.
If you want to get rid of something,
you must first allow it to flourish.
If you want to take something,
you must first allow it to be given.
This is called the subtle perception
of the way things are.
The soft overcomes the hard.
The slow overcomes the fast.
Let your workings remain a mystery.
Just show people the results. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 36 – If you want to shrink something, you must first allow it to expand”

“Retreat to a higher ground where the danger cannot reach you. Anything you lose will be returned to you.” – Today’s Reading

Retreat to a higher ground where the danger cannot reach you. Anything you lose will be returned to you.

Today: “Any time you do not have the answer for something —anything —it doesn’t matter what the question is —hold the breath in.” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: LA673-19910205- Third Chakra

Meditation: Drib Dhristi Lochina Karma

Previous reading: “Looking at your connection with all things, realize also your penetration with all communications and the expression of your being. Include all relations with now, past and future as well as with all beings, living and dead.”

Previous previous reading: “You are able to exert considerable influence in your righteous path. Use your position well, as humble as it may be, shining for all to see as you face new and formidable challenges.”

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 35 – She who is centered in the Tao can go where she wishes, without danger.”

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.

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 35 – She who is centered in the Tao can go where she wishes, without danger.

Verse 35 – She who is centered in the Tao can go where she wishes, without danger.

She who is centered in the Tao
can go where she wishes, without danger.
She perceives the universal harmony,
even amid great pain,
because she has found peace in her heart.
Music or the smell of good cooking
may make people stop and enjoy.
But words that point to the Tao
seem monotonous and without flavor.
When you look for it, there is nothing to see.
When you listen for it, there is nothing to hear.
When you use it, it is inexhaustible.

“Looking at your connection with all things, realize also your penetration with all communications and the expression of your being. Include all relations with now, past and future as well as with all beings, living and dead.” – Today’s Reading

Looking at your connection with all things, realize also your penetration with all communications and the expression of your being. Include all relations with now, past and future as well as with all beings, living and dead.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 34 – The great Tao flows everywhere

Today: “You have a life. How are you going to fit in? How are you going to come out of your shell? ” – Yogi Bhajan

Try these meditations:

Meditation: NM0365-20001024-On Communication II

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

Previous reading: “You are able to exert considerable influence in your righteous path. Use your position well, as humble as it may be, shining for all to see as you face new and formidable challenges.”

Previous 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.”

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

57 – Fifty-Seven. Sun / The Penetrating Wind

Wind follows upon wind, wandering the earth, penetrating gently but persistently:
The Superior Person expands his influence by reaffirming his decisions and carrying out his promises.

Small, persistent, focused effort brings success.
Seek advice from someone you respect.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Gentle persuasion is the key in this instance.
Though the words are soft, their speaker must be firm, calm and confident.
Gentle words are worthless if spoken with trepidation.
Wordless influence by example is also effective in this situation.
All persuasion should be almost unfelt, yet consistent and persistent.
Ask for feedback from someone you know to be an effective persuader.


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


		below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind
		below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind

Sun is one of the eight doubled trigrams. It is the eldest daughter and symbolises wind or wood; it has for its attribute gentleness, which nonetheless penetrates like the wind or like growing wood with its roots.
The dark principle, in itself rigid and immovable, is dissolved by the penetrating light principle, to which it subordinates itself in gentleness. In nature, it is the wind that disperses the gathered clouds, leaving the sky clear and serene. In human life it is penetrating clarity of judgement that thwarts all dark hidden motives. In the life of the community it is the powerful influence of a great personality that uncovers and breaks up those intrigues which shun the light of day.

THE JUDGEMENT

THE GENTLE. Success through what is small.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
It furthers one to see the great man.

Penetration produces gradual and inconspicuous effects. It should be effected not by an act of violation but by influence that never lapses. Results of this kind are less striking to the eye than those won by surprise attack, but they are more enduring and more complete. If one would produce such effects, one must have a clearly defined goal, for only when the penetrating influence works always in the same direction can the object be attained. Small strength can achieve its purpose only by subordinating itself to an eminent man who’s capable of creating order.

Chinese kite

THE IMAGE

Winds following one on the other:
The image of THE GENTLY PENETRATING.
Thus the superior man
Spreads his commands abroad
And carries out his undertakings.

The penetrating quality of the wind depends on its ceaselessness. This is what makes it so powerful; time is its instrument. In the same way the ruler’s thought should penetrate the soul of the people. This too requires a lasting influence brought about by enlightenment and command. Only when the command has been assimilated by the people is action in accordance with it possible. Action without preparation of the ground only frightens and repels.

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Tao Te Ching – Verse 34 – The great Tao flows everywhere

Verse 34 – The great Tao flows everywhere

The great Tao flows everywhere.
All things are born from it,
yet it doesn’t create them.
It pours itself into its work,
yet it makes no claim.
It nourishes infinite worlds,
yet it doesn’t hold on to them.
Since it is merged with all things
and hidden in their hearts,
it can be called humble.
Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 34 – The great Tao flows everywhere”

“You are able to exert considerable influence in your righteous path. Use your position well, as humble as it may be, shining for all to see as you face new and formidable challenges.” – Today’s Reading

You are able to exert considerable influence in your righteous path. Use your position well, as humble as it may be, shining for all to see as you face new and formidable challenges.

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: NM335 – A00111 Connect Up to Infinity

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: NM335 – A00111 Connect Up to Infinity

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: NM335 – A00111 Connect Up to Infinity

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

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Six in the second place means:

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

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.”