Value In The I Ching

[hyok]

It's Sunday, 91 degrees in Cali and while sitting here watching a Blu Ray 1080p DVD copy of I Am Legend and wondering why this movie was so not-so-good, a flashing thought came to me!

 

I am a noob in the Tao! And i'm stubborn and holding on to my ego for dear life! I don't practice enough, I'm moody and irritable and everything spiritual about me seems like it's falling apart at the seams every second! And I can't help it!

 

Every time I feel like this, which has been lately A LOT a lot, I read the I Ching and it makes me feel better, because no matter who I speak to about this, no matter how much I think about how I KNOW what i'm doing wrong, it does nothing. But whenever I read the I Ching and the texts of the early hexagrams, it is like having a one-on-one psychotherapy session with the Tao.

 

I've been on the Bums for a few months now and I've seen a lot of posts from beginners that mirror my own beginning to the present. Aside from the superficial aspects of feeling within a community, no matter how buried they are, I have discovered that it's hard to argue with the enduring blankness of information contained within the I Ching. There is something so nurturing and reflective within the words that its like mother's milk for the spirit and soul. I highly recommend it for new adepts.

Edited July 26, 2009 by hyok

[Vajrahridaya]

There is something so nurturing and reflective within the words that its like mother's milk for the spirit and soul. I highly recommend it for new adepts.

 

I have been using the I-Ching for divination since I was a little kid, under my Mom's tutelage. I fully agree, the I-Ching is not only one of the oldest spiritual texts on the planet, it's one of the best!

[johndoe2012]

hyok,

 

I am a beginner in Tao "cultivation".

 

Could you tell me how you use I Ching, practically?

[hyok]

hyok,

 

I am a beginner in Tao "cultivation".

 

Could you tell me how you use I Ching, practically?

 

For me, it's helped me feel better whenever I feel weak and unworthy.

 

Just read it. I think one receives from it whatever one needs.

[Vajrahridaya]

hyok,

 

I am a beginner in Tao "cultivation".

 

Could you tell me how you use I Ching, practically?

 

You can do a search on that... but, you have to throw Yarrow sticks or coins that are specially reserved for that purpose and are re-used in that way. It's originally a way of examining specific questions about life, or choices that are coming up in your life. It's amazingly accurate, but sometimes metaphorically, other times literal.

 

But it's truly amazing.

 

One time, just before my 18th birthday, my mom threw the coins for the I Ching to get a reading on what was the best way to go about the trip. She read it and we left for a long drive from New Mexico to Oakland to go see a meditation master for my 18th birthday, we were poor so there was no airplane flying for us back then. Air travel was much more expensive in the early 90's. We waited in line on the day of my birthday behind thousands of people, literally. We were all the way outside of a packed auditorium in Oakland. We waited and waited, and right during the very minute of my birthday 18 years earlier, the exact minute... literally 10:07 PM on April 15th on my 18th birthday, I was sitting right in front of the meditation master, in perfect timing, receiving blessings. So that was auspicious and serendipitous. It was an amazing trip and deeply spiritual. We came back to pick up my dog who we had left at a friends house. Only to find out at the time, this was before cell phones, that my dog had ran away and was not to be found many days earlier. My mom freaked out and went back to the I Ching because she remembered reading something in the exact place that was the divination to read through the coins, the exact triagram in the I Ching said in one of the paragraphs. "All that is needed to make this an auspicious trip is the sacrifice of one dog." It literally said that, because I remember reading it. I was so mad, and sad, and cried for days and days. I loved Gizmo. But... it said that, and the trip was indeed auspicious. But, it was exact! My mom asked what would make the trip good, and it came up with the Triagram describing how to make a trip good. That book is amazing!! If done correctly, it will tell all and help with difficulties in life.

 

Since then, I was a total believer in the power of "throwing the I-Ching". I'm 34 now and still use it with the help of my Mom because she's a Master at interpretation. My Mom is a great being a great Yogini!! LOL! She's 67 but looks 45. It's quite amazing actually. But, she's been doing the I-Ching regularly my whole life.

 

Ciao!

Edited July 27, 2009 by Vajrahridaya