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

Tao Te Ching – Verse 26

The heavy is the root of the light.
The unmoved is the source of all movement.

Thus the Master travels all day
without leaving home.
However splendid the views,
she stays serenely in herself.
Why should the lord of the country
flit about like a fool?
If you let yourself be blown to and fro,
you lose touch with your root.
If you let restlessness move you,
you lose touch with who you are.
(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 26 – The heavy is the root of the light. The unmoved is the source of all movement.”

Today: “The situation is stressed to the breaking point due to human folly.  Do not engage.  Remain safe as you rise above the chaos.  Keep your integrity.” – Today’s Reading

The situation is stressed to the breaking point due to human folly.  Do not engage.  Remain safe as you rise above the chaos.  Keep your integrity.

It is an exceptional time and situation; therefore extraordinary measures are demanded. It is necessary to find a way of transition as quickly as possible, and to take action. This promises success. For although the strong element is in excess, it is in the middle, that is, at the centre of gravity, so that a revolution is not to be feared. Nothing is to be achieved by forcible measures. The problem must be solved by gentle penetration to the meaning of the situation (as is suggested by the attribute of the inner trigram, Sun); then the change-over to other conditions will be successful. It demands real superiority; therefore the time when the great preponderates is a momentous time.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 25 – There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born.

Today: “What you are you are, and destiny is destiny. Make a dog emperor and still he will lick the grinding wheel.” – Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Previous reading: “Be true to your intentions and act accordingly. Cultivate resiliency in the face of obstacles. In this moment the universe will begin to flow in the direction of your works and join with your aspirations.”

Previous previous reading: “Be true to your intentions and act accordingly. Cultivate resiliency in the face of obstacles. In this moment the universe will begin to flow in the direction of your works and join with your aspirations.”

Related Posts

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

If you are a healer (or not), listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes:

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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.

6 yin
5 yang above: Tui / The Joyous, Lake
4 yang
3 yang
2 yang below: Sun / The Gentle, Wind, Wood
1 yin

 

This hexagram consists of four strong lines inside and two weak lines outside. When the strong are outside and the weak inside, all is well and there is nothing out of balance, nothing extraordinary in the situation. Here, however, the opposite is the case. The hexagram represents a beam that is thick and heavy in the middle but too weak at the ends. This is a condition that cannot last; it must be changed, must pass, or misfortune will result.

THE JUDGEMENT

PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT.
The ridgepole sags to the breaking point.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
Success.

The weight of the great is excessive. The load is too heavy for the strength of the supports. The ridge-pole on which the whole roof rests, sags to the breaking point, because its supporting ends are too weak for the load they bear. It is an exceptional time and situation; therefore extraordinary measures are demanded. It is necessary to find a way of transition as quickly as possible, and to take action. This promises success. For although the strong element is in excess, it is in the middle, that is, at the centre of gravity, so that a revolution is not to be feared. Nothing is to be achieved by forcible measures. The problem must be solved by gentle penetration to the meaning of the situation (as is suggested by the attribute of the inner trigram, Sun); then the change-over to other conditions will be successful. It demands real superiority; therefore the time when the great preponderates is a momentous time.

 

Under water trees

‘Under water trees’ – photo Andrew Poison

THE IMAGE

The lake rises above the trees:
The image of PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT.
Thus the superior man, when he stands alone,
Is unconcerned,
And if he has to renounce the world,
He is undaunted.

Extraordinary times when the great preponderates are like floodtimes when the lake rises over the treetops. But such conditions are temporary. The two trigrams indicate the attitude proper to such exceptional times: the symbol of the trigram Sun is the tree, which stands firm even though it stands alone, and the attribute of Tui is joyousness, which remains undaunted even if it must renounce the world.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 25 – There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 25

There was something formless and perfect
before the universe was born.
It is serene. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite. Eternally present.
It is the mother of the universe.
For lack of a better name,
I call it the Tao.
It flows through all things,
inside and outside, and returns
to the origin of all things. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 25 – There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born.”

I Ching for the Year of the Snake:”In this Year of the Snake, exercise humility in your choices and actions.  Listen carefully to your intuition when it suggests to you to deviate from a precedent.  ” – Today’s Reading

In this Year of the Snake, exercise humility in your choices and actions.  Listen carefully to your intuition when it suggests to you to deviate from a precedent.

This year, rules will yield to  a contemplation of action based on your witnessing reality.  Merge with reality free of preconceptions and any fixed views.  Include everything in your awareness.  Then act.

Practice this:

Meditation: LA004 780109 Experience the Experience

Meditation: NM190-19951031-Connect Yourself to the Reality

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this 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 in the second place means:
She passes by her ancestor
And meets her ancestress.
He does not reach his prince
And meets the official.
No blame.

Two exceptional situations are instanced here. In the temple of ancestors, where alternation of generations prevails, the grandson stands on the same side as the grandfather. Hence his closest relations are with the grandfather. The present line designates the grandson’s wife, who during the sacrifice passes by the ancestor and goes toward the ancestress. This unusual behavior is, however, an expression of her modesty. She ventures rather to approach the ancestress, for she feels related to her by their common sex. Hence here deviation from the rule is not a mistake.

Another image is that of the official who, in compliance with regulation, first seeks an audience with his prince. If he is not successful in this, he does not try to force anything but goes about conscientious fulfilment of his duty, taking his place among the other officials. This extraordinary restraint is likewise not a mistake in exceptional times.
(The rule is that every official should first have an audience with the prince by whom he is appointed. Here the appointment is made by the minister.)
34 – Thirty-Four.  Ta Chuang / Awesome Power

Thunder fills the Heavens with its awful roar, not out of pride, but with integrity; if it did less, it would not be Thunder:
Because of his Great Power, the Superior Person takes pains not to overstep his position, so that he will not seem intimidating or threatening to the Established Order.

Opportunity will arise along this course.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

The Awesome Power available in this hexagram stems from what the Taoists call your Te, a term not perfectly translated into English.
Roughly, it is your Integrity — not in the Western sense of honor — but more in the psychological definition of a full integration of Who You Are.
This Awesome Power is achieved only by fully embracing both the good and the bad, the strong and the weak, the masculine and the feminine — all polarities within you.
Such self-knowledge spawns a Mastery tempered with the humility necessary to rein in and harness this Awesome Power.

Today: “Be true to your intentions and act accordingly.   Cultivate resiliency in the face of obstacles.  In this moment the universe will begin to flow in the direction of your works and join with your aspirations.” – Today’s Reading

Be true to your intentions and act accordingly.   Cultivate resiliency in the face of obstacles.  In this moment the universe will begin to flow in the direction of your works and join with your aspirations.

You have a clear map before you of the steps necessary to reach your objective.
With faithful patience and a careful conservation of personal energy and resources, you will run this long, slow distance.
This indicates a stage in which pushing upward attains its goal. One acquires fame in the sight of gods and men, is received into the circle of those who foster the spiritual life of the nation, and thereby attains a significance that endures beyond time.
The Superior Person possesses a resiliency and durability that lets him remain firmly and faithfully on course.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 24 – He who stands on tiptoe doesn’t stand firm

Today: “If you realize that “I am in existence,” then you know that your mind is something totally separate from you.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “If you realize that “I am in existence,” then you know that your mind is something totally separate from you.” Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Recap: Healing and Meditation Workshop at Yoga West with Hari Nam Singh 2019-08-07 – Integrating Perception with Experience with Reality

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Previous reading: “It is best not to resist the obstacles and difficulties ahead. Understand what you can change (within you and in your external relations), and drop the rest. The alternative brings misery.”

Previous previous reading: “Travel lightly through life, without encumbrance. No clinging, no regrets, no guilt. Engage, then move on without too much expectation.”

Related Posts

If you are a healer (or not), listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes:

Recap: Healing Intensive with Hari Nam Singh at Park Slope Brooklyn March 29-30, 2019

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
46 – Forty-Six.  Shêng / Upward Mobility

Beneath the Soil, the Seedling pushes upward toward the light:
To preserve his integrity, the Superior Person contents himself with small gains that eventually lead to great accomplishment.

Supreme Success.
Have no doubts.
Seek guidance from someone you respect.
A constant move toward greater clarity will bring reward.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are progressing, rising inch-by-inch toward certain success.
What makes this assured is your refusal to tilt headlong toward your goal, slamming into obstacles and going mad with frustration.
You have a clear map before you of the steps necessary to reach your objective.
With faithful patience and a careful conservation of personal energy and resources, you will run this long, slow distance.

Six in the fourth place means:

The king offers him Mount Ch’i.
Good fortune. No blame.

Mount Ch'i

Mount Ch’i

Mount Ch’i is in western China, the homeland of King Wên, whose son, the Duke of Chou, added the words to the individual lines. The pronouncement takes us back to a time when the Chou dynasty was coming into power. At that time King Wên introduced his illustrious helpers to the god of his native mountain, and they received their places in the halls of the ancestors by the side of the ruler. This indicates a stage in which pushing upward attains its goal. One acquires fame in the sight of gods and men, is received into the circle of those who foster the spiritual life of the nation, and thereby attains a significance that endures beyond time.

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.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 24 – He who stands on tiptoe doesn’t stand firm

Tao Te Ching – Verse 24

He who stands on tiptoe
doesn’t stand firm.
He who rushes ahead
doesn’t go far.
He who tries to shine
dims his own light.
He who defines himself
can’t know who he really is.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 24 – He who stands on tiptoe doesn’t stand firm”

“It is best not to resist the obstacles and difficulties ahead.  Understand what you can change (within you and in your external relations), and drop the rest.  The alternative brings misery.” – Today’s Reading

It is best not to resist the obstacles and difficulties ahead.  Understand what you can change (within you and in your external relations), and drop the rest.  The alternative brings misery.

Difficulties and obstructions throw a man back upon himself. While the inferior man seeks to put the blame on other persons, bewailing his fate, the superior man seeks the error within himself, and through this introspection the external obstacle becomes for him an occasion for inner enrichment and education.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 23 – Express yourself completely, then keep quiet

Today: “The wrath of God will come upon one who slanders other people…” – Yogi Bhajan

Today: “The wrath of God will come upon one who slanders other people…” – Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Meditation: LA135-19791029 Resolve Inner Conflict

Meditation: NM0336 – For Inner Strength

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Previous reading: “Travel lightly through life, without encumbrance. No clinging, no regrets, no guilt. Engage, then move on without too much expectation.”

Previous previous reading: “This too shall pass. In this time of great transition, it is wise to allow the chaotic forces in play to reconcile according to their nature.”

Related Posts

If you are a healer (or not), listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes:

Recap: Healing Intensive with Hari Nam Singh at Park Slope Brooklyn March 29-30, 2019

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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?

yin
yang above: K’an / The Abysmal, Water
yin
yang
yin below: Kên / Keeping Still, Mountain
yin

 

The hexagram pictures a dangerous abyss lying before us and a steep, inaccessible mountain rising behind us. We are surrounded by obstacles; at the same time, since the mountain has the attribute of keeping still, there is implicit a hint as to how we can extricate ourselves. The hexagram represents obstructions that appear in the course of time but that can and should be overcome. Therefore all the instruction given is directed to overcoming them.

THE JUDGEMENT

OBSTRUCTION. The southwest furthers.
The northeast does not further.
It furthers one to see the great man.
Perseverance brings good fortune.

The southwest is the region of retreat, the northeast that of advance. Here an individual is confronted by obstacles that cannot be overcome directly. In such a situation it is wise to pause in view of the danger and to retreat. However, this is merely a preparation for overcoming the obstructions. One must join forces with friends of like mind and put himself under the leadership of a man equal to the situation: then one will succeed in removing the obstacles. This requires the will to persevere just when one apparently must do something that leads away from his goal. This unswerving inner purpose brings good fortune in the end. An obstruction that lasts only for a time is useful for self-development. This is the value of adversity.

THE IMAGE

Water on the mountain:
The image of OBSTRUCTION.
Thus the superior man turns his attention to himself
And molds his character.

 

Heaven Lake - Baekdu Mountain

Heaven Lake, Baekdu Mountain – a crater lake on the border separating China and North Korea

Difficulties and obstructions throw a man back upon himself. While the inferior man seeks to put the blame on other persons, bewailing his fate, the superior man seeks the error within himself, and through this introspection the external obstacle becomes for him an occasion for inner enrichment and education.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 23 – Express yourself completely, then keep quiet

Tao Te Ching – Verse 23

Express yourself completely,
then keep quiet.
Be like the forces of nature:
when it blows, there is only wind;
when it rains, there is only rain;
when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 23 – Express yourself completely, then keep quiet”

“Travel lightly through life, without encumbrance.  No clinging, no regrets, no guilt.  Engage, then move on without too much expectation.” – Today’s Reading

Travel lightly through life, without encumbrance.  No clinging, no regrets, no guilt.  Engage, then move on without too much expectation.

You are a stranger to this situation.
It is your attraction to the exotic that has led you here, but you will move on to a new vista when this one has lost its mystique.
Because much of this environment is foreign to you, you must exercise only the best judgement.
You don’t know the custom here, and it’s too easy to cross a line you don’t know is there.
Because you are the foreigner in this setting, you have no history to acquit you.
Watch, listen, study, contemplate, then step lightly but decisively on.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 22 – If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial. If you want to become straight, let yourself be crooked.

Today: “There is a concept in our lives of sin that God is going to judge you on the last day.” Yogi Bhajan 

Today: “There is a concept in our lives of sin that God is going to judge you on the last day.” Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Lecture: LA860 – 960131 – Increase the Flow of the Earth Within You

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Previous reading: “This too shall pass. In this time of great transition, it is wise to allow the chaotic forces in play to reconcile according to their nature.”

Previous previous reading: “Within all the chaos there are points of stillness. Stay in the center of all the movement. Within your center you can make your own space which can serve as refuge for all.”

Related Posts

If you are a healer, listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes at Golden Bridge:

Healing Classes at Golden Bridge Taught by Hari Nam Singh – Audio

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
56 – Fifty-Six.  Lu / The Wanderer

Fire on the Mountain, catastrophic to man, a passing annoyance to the Mountain:
The Superior Person waits for wisdom and clarity before exacting Justice, then lets no protest sway him.

Find satisfaction in small gains.
To move constantly forward is good fortune to a Wanderer.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are a stranger to this situation.
It is your attraction to the exotic that has led you here, but you will move on to a new vista when this one has lost its mystique.
Because much of this environment is foreign to you, you must exercise only the best judgement.
You don’t know the custom here, and it’s too easy to cross a line you don’t know is there.
Because you are the foreigner in this setting, you have no history to acquit you.
Watch, listen, study, contemplate, then step lightly but decisively on.

yang
yin above: Li / The Clinging, Fire
yang
yang
yin below: Kên / Keeping Still, Mountain
yin

 

THE MOUNTAIN, Kên, stands still; above it fire, Li, flames up and does not tarry. Therefore the two trigrams do not stay together. Strange lands and separation are the wanderer’s lot.

THE JUDGEMENT

The Wanderer. Success through smallness.
Perseverance brings good fortune
To the wanderer.

WHEN A man is a wanderer and stranger, he should not be gruff nor overbearing. He has no large circle of acquaintances, therefore he should not give himself airs. He must be cautious and reserved; in this way he protects himself from evil. If he is obliging toward others, he wins success.
A wanderer has no fixed abode; his home is the road. Therefore he must take care to remain upright and steadfast, so that he sojourns only in the proper places, associating only with good people. Then he has good fortune and can go his way unmolested.

I Ching Online

THE IMAGE

Fire on the mountain:
The image of THE WANDERER.
Thus the superior man
Is clear-minded and cautious
In imposing penalties,
And protracts no lawsuits.

 

Fire on Sugarloaf mountain

 

Fire on Sugarloaf mountain, in Chiricahua National Monument, 2011

When grass on a mountain takes fire, there is bright light. However, the fire does not linger in one place, but travels on to new fuel. It is a phenomenon of short duration. This is what penalties and lawsuits should be like. They should be a quickly passing matter, and must not be dragged out indefinitely. Prisons ought to be places where people are lodged only temporarily, as guests are. They must not become dwelling places.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 22 – If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial. If you want to become straight, let yourself be crooked.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 22

If you want to become whole,
let yourself be partial.
If you want to become straight,
let yourself be crooked.
If you want to become full,
let yourself be empty.
If you want to be reborn,
let yourself die.
If you want to be given everything,
give everything up.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 22 – If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial. If you want to become straight, let yourself be crooked.”

“This too shall pass.  In this time of great transition, it is wise to allow the chaotic forces in play to reconcile according to their nature.” – Today’s Reading

This too shall pass.  In this time of great transition, it is wise to allow the chaotic forces in play to reconcile according to their nature.  What is upon us is inevitable.  What the future brings will depend on our resolve  to allow  the “fierce battle to break and to discipline the Devil’s Country, the forces of decadence“.

Do not cling to what has gone before.  Witness the present with new eyes. Project grace through your presence into the future.

“In times of disorder there is a temptation to advance oneself as rapidly as possible in order to accomplish something tangible. But this enthusiasm leads only to failure and humiliation if the time for achievement has not yet arrived. In such time it is wise to spare ourselves the opprobrium of failure by holding back.

“Now it is the time of struggle. The transition must be completed. We must make ourselves strong in resolution; this brings good fortune. All misgivings that might arise in such grave times of struggle must be silenced. It is a question of a fierce battle to break and to discipline the Devil’s Country, the forces of decadence. But the struggle also has its reward. Now is the time to lay the foundations of power and mastery for the future.”

We accomplish this through our radiance :
Tao Te Ching – Verse 21 – The Master keeps her mind always at one with the Tao; that is what gives her her radiance.

Today: “From morning to evening we want you to meditate on one thought: There is one Creator who created this universe.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “From morning to evening we want you to meditate on one thought: There is one Creator who created this universe.” Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Meditation: Meditations for the Radiant Body

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Previous reading: “Within all the chaos there are points of stillness. Stay in the center of all the movement. Within your center you can make your own space which can serve as refuge for all.”

Previous previous reading: “Enjoy what you have. Be Grateful.”

Related Posts

If you are a healer, listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes at Golden Bridge:

Healing Classes at Golden Bridge Taught by Hari Nam Singh – Audio

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
64 – Sixty-Four.  Wei Chi / The End In Sight

Fire ascends above the Water:
The Superior Person examines the nature of things and keeps each in its proper place.

Too anxious the young fox gets his tail wet, just as he completes his crossing.
To attain success, be like the man and not like the fox.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

Resist the rush to completion.
Anticipation of fulfillment may cause you to be careless before you have fully absorbed the lessons of the journey.
The endpoint of this Quest will only prove to be the threshold for another.
You are short steps from Mastery on this plane, yet you stride toward Ignorance of the challenges lying beyond.
Savor this accomplishment.
Fully Become.
Take full possession of your world before embarking to discover the next one.
That voyage begins soon enough, and you will reminisce about this one.
These are the Good Old Days.

Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:
He gets his tail in the water.
Humiliating.

Female blackbird taking bath

Female blackbird taking bath – Landsmeer Holland 2010
photo Lex van den Bos

In times of disorder there is a temptation to advance oneself as rapidly as possible in order to accomplish something tangible. But this enthusiasm leads only to failure and humiliation if the time for achievement has not yet arrived. In such time it is wise to spare ourselves the opprobrium of failure by holding back.1

Nine in the fourth place means:

Perseverance brings good fortune.
Remorse disappears.
Shock, thus to discipline the Devil’s Country.
For three years, great realms are awarded.

The Oath of the Horatii

‘The Oath of the Horatii’, 1786 – Jacques Louis David (1748-1825)

Now it is the time of struggle. The transition must be completed. We must make ourselves strong in resolution; this brings good fortune. All misgivings that might arise in such grave times of struggle must be silenced. It is a question of a fierce battle to break and to discipline the Devil’s Country, the forces of decadence. But the struggle also has its reward. Now is the time to lay the foundations of power and mastery for the future.

41 – Forty-one.  Sun / Decrease

The stoic Mountain drains its excess waters to the Lake below:
The Superior Person curbs his anger and sheds his desires.

To be frugal and content is to possess immeasurable wealth within.
Nothing of value could be refused such a person.
Make a portion of each meal a share of your offering.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is an occasion for downsizing to fighting trim.
Simplicity and economy are strong defenses against the slings and arrows of Outrageous Fortune.
Whether this is a time of want or a time of plenty, it is an auspicious time to shed a dependency.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 21 – The Master keeps her mind always at one with the Tao; that is what gives her her radiance.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 21

The Master keeps her mind
always at one with the Tao;
that is what gives her her radiance.

The Tao is ungraspable.
How can her mind be at one with it?
Because she doesn’t cling to ideas. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 21 – The Master keeps her mind always at one with the Tao; that is what gives her her radiance.”

“Within all the chaos there are points of stillness.  Stay in the center of all the movement.  Within your center you can make your own space which can serve as refuge for all.” – Today’s Reading

Within all the chaos there are points of stillness.  Stay in the center of all the movement.  Within your center you can make your own space which can serve as refuge for all.

This is a case not of a single shock but of repeated shocks with no breathing space between. Nonetheless, the shock causes no loss, because one takes care to stay in the centre of movement and in this way to be spared the fate of being helplessly tossed hither and thither.

This verse is relevant to choices made on a grand scale :
Tao Te Ching – Verse 20 – Stop thinking, and end your problems.

Today: “You have to understand the purpose of life. The purpose of life is to do something which will live forever.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “You have to understand the purpose of life. The purpose of life is to do something which will live forever.” Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Meditation: NM190-19951031-Connect Yourself to the Reality

Meditation: LA747 921231 Fear 6, to command yourself

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Previous reading: “Enjoy what you have. Be Grateful.”

Previous previous reading: “Stay on your path toward good fortune. No need to question your practice. Just contemplate each choice adequately before acting and assess every choice in retrospect. Do not repeat mistakes. Experience is your teacher.”

Related Posts

If you are a healer, listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes at Golden Bridge:

Healing Classes at Golden Bridge Taught by Hari Nam Singh – Audio

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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 fifth place means:

Others run in confusion and terror from the violent thunderstorm.
Fully aware of the danger, you keep to the task that must be done.

Shock goes hither and thither.
Danger.
However, nothing at all is lost.
Yet there are things to be done.

Shock

This is a case not of a single shock but of repeated shocks with no breathing space between. Nonetheless, the shock causes no loss, because one takes care to stay in the centre of movement and in this way to be spared the fate of being helplessly tossed hither and thither.
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?

Tao Te Ching – Verse 20 – Stop thinking, and end your problems.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 20

Stop thinking, and end your problems.
What difference between yes and no?
What difference between success and failure?
Must you value what others value,
avoid what others avoid?
How ridiculous!
Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 20 – Stop thinking, and end your problems.”

“Enjoy what you have.  Be Grateful.” – Today’s Reading

Enjoy what you have.  Be Grateful.

This verse is relevant to choices made on a grand scale :
Tao Te Ching – Verse 19 – Throw away holiness and wisdom, and people will be a hundred times happier.

Today: “As for health, you need a doctor; as for school, you need a teacher; as for your soul, you need a guide.” Yogi Bhajan

Today: “As for health, you need a doctor; as for school, you need a teacher; as for your soul, you need a guide.” Yogi Bhajan

Practice this:

Meditation: NM0347-20000502-Guru Kriya

Meditation: Breath to Conquer Time Space and Destiny

Previous reading: “Stay on your path toward good fortune. No need to question your practice. Just contemplate each choice adequately before acting and assess every choice in retrospect. Do not repeat mistakes. Experience is your teacher.”

Previous previous reading: “Stay on your path toward good fortune. No need to question your practice. Just contemplate each choice adequately before acting and assess every choice in retrospect. Do not repeat mistakes. Experience is your teacher.”

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If you are a healer, listen to  one or more of the following audio clips from my healing classes at Golden Bridge:

Healing Classes at Golden Bridge Taught by Hari Nam Singh – Audio

See Richard Wilhelm's translation for this reading
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.

yin
yin above: Chên / The Arousing, Thunder
yang
yang
yin below: Li / The Clinging, Flame
yang

 

Chên is movement; Li is flame, whose attribute is clarity. Clarity within, movement without-this produces greatness and abundance. The hexagram pictures a period of advanced civilisation. However, the fact that development has reached a peak suggests that this extraordinary condition of abundance cannot be maintained permanently.

THE JUDGEMENT

ABUNDANCE has success.
The king attains abundance.
Be not sad.
Be like the sun at midday.

It is not given to every mortal to bring about a time of outstanding greatness and abundance. Only a born ruler of men is able to do it, because his will is directed to what is great. Such a time of abundance is usually brief. Therefore a sage might well feel sad in view of the decline that must follow. But such sadness does not befit him. Only a man who is inwardly free of sorrow and care can lead in a time of abundance. He must be like the sun at midday, illuminating and gladdening everything under heaven.

Thunder and fire

THE IMAGE

Both thunder and lightning come:
The image of ABUNDANCE.
Thus the superior man decides lawsuits
And carries out punishments.

This hexagram has a certain connection with Shih Ho, BITING THROUGH (21), in which thunder and lightning similarly appear together, but in the reverse order. In BITING THROUGH, laws are laid down; here they are applied and enforced. Clarity [Li] within makes it possible to investigate the facts exactly, and shock [Chên] without ensures a strict and precise carrying out of punishments.

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

Tao Te Ching – Verse 19

Throw away holiness and wisdom,
and people will be a hundred times happier.
Throw away morality and justice,
and people will do the right thing.
Throw away industry and profit,
and there won’t be any thieves.

If these three aren’t enough,
just stay at the center of the circle
and let all things take their course. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 19 – Throw away holiness and wisdom, and people will be a hundred times happier.”