Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 67 – Some say that my teaching is nonsense.”
Deep Waters on the face of the Earth: Surface waters flow together. The Superior Person recognizes the situation calls for joining together. Thus he cultivates friendly relations with all.
Good fortune is possible. Cast the coins again to discover if you have the qualities needed to lead such a group. Then there will be no error. Those uncertain will gradually join. Those who join too late will meet with misfortune.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
This is a time of connection with another or others — not just an alliance, but a melding of parts into a new whole. Such a connection may be too close, too intense for some. Consult the oracle again to see if you have the qualities needed to strengthen and withstand such an intense synthesis.
above: K’an / The Abysmal, Water
below: K’un / The Receptive, Earth
THE WATERS on the surface of the earth flow together wherever they can, as for example in the ocean, where all the rivers come together. Symbolically this connotes holding together and the laws that regulate it. The same idea is suggested by the fact that all the lines of the hexagram except the fifth, the place of the ruler, are yielding. The yielding lines hold together because they are influenced by a man of strong will in the leading position, a man who is their centre of union. Moreover, this strong and guiding personality in turn holds together with the others, finding in them the complement of his own nature.
THE JUDGEMENT
Holding together brings good fortune. Inquire of the oracle once again Whether you possess sublimity, constancy, and perseverance; Then there is no blame. Those who are uncertain gradually join. Whoever comes too late Meets with misfortune.
WHAT IS required is that we unite with others, in order that all may complement and aid one another through holding together. But such holding together calls for a central figure around whom other persons may unite. To become a centre of influence holding people together is a grave matter and fraught with great responsibility. It requires greatness of spirit, consistency, and strength. Therefore let him who wishes to gather others about him ask himself whether he is equal to the undertaking, for anyone attempting the task without a real calling for it only makes confusion worse than if no union at all had taken place. But when there is a real rallying point, those who at first are hesitant or uncertain gradually come in of their own accord. Late-comers must suffer the consequences, for in holding together the question of the right time is also important. Relationships are formed and firmly established according to definite inner laws. Common experiences strengthen these ties, and he who comes too late to share in these basic experiences must suffer for it if, as a straggler, he finds the door locked. If a man has recognized the necessity for union and does not feel strong enough to function as the centre, it is his duty to become a member of some other organic fellowship.
THE IMAGE
On the earth is water: The image of holding together. Thus the kings of antiquity Bestowed the different states as fiefs And cultivated friendly relations With the feudal lords.
WATER FILLS UP all the empty places on the earth and clings fast to it. The social organisation of ancient China was based on this principle of the holding together of dependents and rulers. Water flows to unite with water, because all parts of it are subject to the same laws. So too should human society hold together through a community of interests that allows each individual to feel himself a member of a whole. The central power of a social organisation must see to it that every member finds that his true interest lies in holding together with it, as was the case in the paternal relationship between king and vassals in ancient China.
A playful Zephyr dances and delights beneath indulgent Heaven: A Prince who shouts orders but will not walk among his people may as well try to command the four winds.
A strong, addictive temptation, much more dangerous than it seems.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
You are ignoring a clear and present danger to your well-being. If this threat emanated from a heavy-handed oppressor, you would see it coming. But this danger comes to you in the form of a seduction, an amusement, a diversion, an indulgence that is eating away at the fiber of your secure little world. You are too cocksure. You underestimate the tribute this dalliance will demand.
Nine in the second place means:
A fish in the kitchen. Adequate for your humble needs, but not suitable for guests. No mistake.
There is a fish in the tank. No blame. Does not further guests.
The inferior element is not overcome by violence but is kept under gentle control. Then nothing evil is to be feared. But care must be taken not to let it come in contact with those further away, because once free it would unfold its evil aspects unchecked.
33 – Thirty-Three. Tun / Retreat
The tranquil Mountain towers overhead, yet remains this side of Heaven: The Superior Person avoids the petty and superficial by keeping shallow men at a distance, not in anger but with dignity.
Such a retreat sweeps the path clear to Success. Occupy yourself with minute detail.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
Retreat in this instance is not a desperate flight in disarray, but a conscious choice to distance yourself from forces that would rob you of your peace. It is not a surrender, but a regrouping. Retreat from this conflict is actually an advance toward your own center. You move toward balance, and thus a much stronger position.
The Superior Person holds an inner Fire that ignites passion in every heart it touches, until all the world is enlightened and aflame.
With so searing a flame, success will not be denied you. Take care to be as peaceful and nurturing as the cow in the meadow; you are strong enough to be gentle.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
A Promethean flame is delivering light and heat to the situation at hand. This radiance will cause such an alchemical transformation of circumstances that the changes will seem magical, miraculous. Yet they are only shifts of perspective and attitude that bring clarity. The passions kindled by this fire must be harnessed and used judiciously, or they threaten to consume your hopes and dreams.
Nine in the fourth place means:
He bursts into flame, dazzles with his brilliance, spends his fuel, dies out quickly and is forgotten.
Its coming is sudden; It flames up, dies down, is thrown away.
Meteor Clarity of mind has the same relation to life that fire has to wood. Fire clings to wood, but also consumes it. Clarity of mind is rooted in life but can also consume it. Everything depends on how the clarity functions. Here the image used is that of a meteor or a straw fire. A man who is excitable and restless may rise quickly to prominence but produces no lasting effects. Thus matters end badly when a man spends himself too rapidly and consumes himself like a meteor.
15 – Fifteen. Ch’ien / Modesty
The Mountain does not overshadow the Plain surrounding it: Such modest consideration in a Superior Person creates a channel through which excess flows to the needy.
Success if you carry things through.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
The Cosmos is moving toward equilibrium. Extremes are being tempered, excess is beginning to shift toward the empty. You can use these moderating influences to strike a balance in the world around you. Remember, though, that this Leveling will not come about through an arrogant confiscation of excess, but through subtler persuasions. Modesty and moderation are the keys.
“Meditation is a duty toward the self. The moment you become aware of the self, you become beautiful to self because the moment you concentrate on self, your frequency changes and the universe around you changes also. This is a cosmic law.” Yogi Bhajan
Waters difficult to keep within the Lake’s banks: The Superior Person examines the nature of virtue and makes himself a standard that can be followed.
Self-discipline brings success; but restraints too binding bring self-defeat.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
Cultivating the proper disciplines and the proper degree of discipline are the concerns of this hexagram. By limiting options, you may give more attention to priorities. One who is all over the map is no less lost than one without a map. Avoid asceticism, however. Deprivation is not wise discipline. The key here is regulation, not restriction.
Six at the top means:
Self-discipline teetering toward self-destruction. An empty martyrdom. Turn back.
If one is too severe in setting up restrictions, people will not endure them. The more consistent such severity, the worse it is, for in the long run a reaction is unavoidable. In the same way, the tormented body will rebel against excessive asceticism. On the other hand, although ruthless severity is not to be applied persistently and systematically, there may be times when it is the only means of safeguarding against guilt and remorse. In such situations ruthlessness toward oneself is the only means of saving one’s soul, which otherwise would succumb to irresolution and temptation.
61 – Sixty-One. Chung Fu / Inner Truth
The gentle Wind ripples the Lake’s surface: The Superior Person finds common ground between points of contention, wearing away rigid perspectives that would lead to fatal error.
Pigs and fishes. You may cross to the far shore. Great fortune if you stay on course.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
The subject of this hexagram discovers a key to Tranquility by first gaining insight into his own nature, then turning that vision outward. By resolving inner conflicts and being at peace with himself, he learns to gain insight into others. In effect, he enters another, sees with the other’s eyes, listens with the other’s ears, feels with the other’s heart. He then returns to his own center, with new perspective and understanding.
Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
“There is nothing more precious than the self. There is nothing more beautiful than the self. There is nothing greater than the self. Only with the self can you realize that there is a God, a Supreme Consciousness of the Supreme Self.” Yogi Bhajan
Act without doing;
work without effort.
Think of the small as large
and the few as many.
Confront the difficult
while it is still easy;
accomplish the great task
by a series of small acts.
Deep Water beneath the Earth’s surface: Untapped resources are available. The Superior Person nourishes and instructs the people, building a loyal, disciplined following. Good fortune. No mistakes if you follow a course led by experience.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
You must gain support from others. Find a way to make others want to see your objectives met as badly as you want it. How can they profit from the attainment of this goal? Can you command confidence that you are just the person that can bring this plan to fruition?
Nine in the second place means: In the midst of the army. Good fortune. No blame. The king bestows a triple decoration.
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) presenting the female officer, Marie Schellinck with a medal on the battlefield, illustration from Le Petit Journal, September 1894
The leader should be in the midst of his army, in touch with it, sharing good and bad with the masses he leads. This alone makes him equal to the heavy demands made upon him. He needs also the recognition of the ruler. The decorations he receives are justified, because there is no question of personal preferment here: the whole army, whose centre he is, is honored in his person.
2 – Two. K’un / Receptive Force
Earth above and Earth below: The Earth contains and sustains. In this situation, the Superior Person should not take the initiative; he should follow the initiative of another. He should seek receptive allies in the southwest; he should break ties with immovable allies in the northeast.
Responsive devotion. Receptive influence. Sublime Success if you keep to your course.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
This is a time for dealing with reality as it is, not as you would have it be. If you realize that in this situation you are the receptor, not the transmitter of the stimulus, you will find yourself reaching goals that seemed unattainable under your own steam. If you persist in futile efforts to be the Shaper rather than the Shaped, you will completely miss this unique opportunity.
Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching
“What is man’s destiny? Man’s destiny is to merge with infinity. You should not only know it, you should experience it. Experiencing in yourself the vastness of infinity is the aim of human life.” Yogi Bhajan
Deep Water beneath the Earth’s surface:
Untapped resources are available.
The Superior Person nourishes and instructs the people, building a loyal, disciplined following.
Good fortune.
No mistakes if you follow a course led by experience.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
You must gain support from others.
Find a way to make others want to see your objectives met as badly as you want it.
How can they profit from the attainment of this goal?
Can you command confidence that you are just the person that can bring this plan to fruition?
above: K’un / The Receptive, Earth
below: K’an / The Abysmal, Water
THIS HEXAGRAM is made up of the trigrams K’an, water, and K’un, earth, and thus it symbolises the ground water stored up in the earth. In the same way military strength is stored up in the mass of the people – invisible in times of peace but always ready for use as a source of power. The attributes of the two trigrams are danger inside and obedience outside. This points to the nature of an army, which at the core is dangerous, while discipline and obedience must prevail outside.
Of the individual lines, the one that controls the hexagram is the strong nine in the second place, to which the other lines, all yielding, are subordinate. This line indicates a commander, because it stands in the middle of one of the two trigrams. But since it is in the lower rather than the upper trigram, it represents not the ruler but the efficient general, who maintains obedience in the army by his authority.
THE JUDGEMENT
The army. The army needs perseverance
And a strong man.
Good fortune without blame.
Xian warriors
AN ARMY is a mass that needs organization in order to become a fighting force.
Without strict discipline nothing can be accomplished, but this discipline must not be achieved by force. It requires a strong man who captures the hearts of the people and awakens their enthusiasm. In order that he may develop his abilities he needs the complete confidence of his ruler, who must entrust him with full responsibility as long as the war lasts. But war is always a dangerous thing and brings with it destruction and devastation. Therefore it should not be resorted to rashly but, like a poisonous drug, should be used as a last recourse.
The justifying cause of a war, and clear and intelligible war aims, ought to be explained to the people by an experienced leader. Unless there is a quite definite war aim to which the people can consciously pledge themselves, the unity and strength of conviction that lead to victory will not be forthcoming. But the leader must also look to it that the passion of war and the delirium of victory do not give rise to unjust acts that will not meet with general approval. If justice and perseverance are the basis of action, all goes well.
THE IMAGE
In the middle of the earth is water:
The image of THE ARMY.
Thus the superior man increases his masses
By generosity toward the people.
GROUND WATER is invisibly present within the earth. In the same way the military power of a people is invisibly present in the masses. When danger threatens, every peasant becomes a soldier; when the war ends, he goes back to his plow. He who is generous toward the people wins their love, and a people living under a mild rule becomes strong and powerful. Only a people economically strong can be important in military power. Such power must therefore be cultivated by improving the economic condition of the people and by humane government. Only when there is this invisible bond between government and people, so that the people are sheltered by their government as ground water is sheltered by the earth, is it possible to wage a victorious war.
Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's, Thomas Cleary's, Brian Arnold's and other translations of the I Ching