How do you learn?

[Yen Hui]

Move with the grace and power of the Tao, without ever losing your correct center-point.

HUAINAN TZU SAYS:-

 

"Those who know how to learn are like axles of a car: the center of the hub does not itself move, but with it

they go a thousand miles, beginning again when they finish, operating an inexhaustible resource.

 

Those who do not know how to learn are as though lost: tell them the cardinal directions, and they misunderstand;

listening from their own point of view, they are disoriented and therefore fail to get the gist of the whole matter."

( Taoist Classics, Vol. 1, p. 374 )

[林愛偉]

I just posted this in another thread but I believe it has its function here:

 

Because if we were all one with Dao, we could come and go as we please.

Since we are not one with Dao, we cannot come and go as we please.

Once we are one with Dao we can come and go as we please.

Till then, cultivate to come and go as you please, and you will realize

one with Dao doesn't exist.

 

 

Peace,

Aiwei

[林愛偉]

 

 

As far as the teacher stuff..I definetly think good teachers can help you awaken to your natural state but the really good ones will tell you after you have done that how it's all a sham.

 

Of course it's not all a sham..I think the teacher student realationship and study is a pretty important part of awakening. I went for a long time on my own without teachers and got some taste but I think the presence of the teacher just speeds things up.

 

Sure, at an ultimate level we don't need the teacher but if you look at pretty much any enlightened guy after the Buddha they all had there teacher.

 

The real question arises in me why would you not want to study with an awakened teacher? It would just seem to be missing a crucial element to the whole process.

 

But if awakening without a teacher and not needing a teacher is your reality nothing wrong with that either I guess.

 

 

The difference from being awakened and realizing you are awakened is as vast and endless as the philosophical talk between two headed intellectuals.

 

If you are awakened by yourself, there is no distinguishing between you and others who are not. So the teachings mix in without a direction to build strong foundation.

If you are certified inyour awakening by another awakened one, then the momentum of that realization roots you deep in your skill-in-means, and allows you to wisely distinguish which teachings are proper for which minds, which beings will get it, and which will not. So as to allow you to prescribe the proper medicine.

 

ALSO having one certify you to awakening to the way drops one's arrogance, ego, and stupidity. For one who has awakened will not go walking around screaming "I'm awakened!!!"

He would be the one in the background mixed into the crowd, throwing tidbits of methods for the people to cultivate. Then he runs away. Someone says he's awakened, and he leaves without saying so. Though eveyone will know, he will not declare his exit or entrance..nor his return.

 

Peace,

Aiwei

Edited July 10, 2007 by 林愛偉

[Yen Hui]

THis mental fasting of Zhuangzi (Chuang Zi) is for detachment of the personal desire for things. Once

there is a full letting go, putting down of the personal attachments, the use of them is only for the sake

of the body ...keeping form. Nothing more.

SIX QUOTATIONS FROM CHUANG TZU:-

 

01 - On Sitting Quietly and Letting Intellect Fade Away

 

"I'm gaining ground," said Yen Hui.

 

"What do you mean?" asked Confucius.

 

"I've forgotten Humanity and Duty completely."

 

"Not bad! But that's still not it."

 

A few days later they met again and Yen Hui said, "I'm gaining ground."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"I've forgotten ritual and music completely."

 

"Not bad! But that's still not it."

 

A few days later they met again and Yen Hui said, "I'm gaining ground."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"I sit quietly and forget."

 

Confucius shifted around uneasily. "What do you mean 'sit quietly and forget'?" he asked his disciple.

 

"I let the body fall away and the intellect fade. I throw out form, abandon understanding - and

then move freely, blending away into the great transformation. That's what I mean by 'sit quietly and

forget'."

 

"If you blend away like that, you're free of likes and dislikes," said Confucius. "If you're all transformation,

you're free of permanence. So in the end, the true sage here is you. So you won't mind if I follow you from

now on, will you?" (From Chapter 6, entitled: 'The Great Ancestral Master' )

 

02 - On the Understanding's Divine Ascent

 

"Only a true sage masters true understanding. What does "true sage" mean? The true sages of old never

avoided want, never flaunted perfection, never worked at schemes. If you're like that, you can be wrong

without remorse and right without conceit. You can scale the heights without trembling in fear, dive into

deep water without getting wet, walk into fire without getting burned. This is how understanding can

ascend delusion into the heights of Tao."

 

03 - On Knowing Without Knowing

 

"It is easy to keep from walking; the hard thing is to walk without touching the ground. It is easy to cheat

when you work for men, but hard to cheat when you work for Heaven. You have heard of flying with wings,

but you have never heard of flying without wings. You have heard of the knowledge that knows, but

you have never heard of the knowledge that does not know. Look into that closed room, the

empty chamber where brightness is born! Fortune and blessing gather where there is stillness.

But if you do not keep still - this is what is called sitting but racing around. Let your ears and eyes

communicate with what is inside, and put mind and knowledge on the outside. Then even gods and

spirits will come to dwell, not to speak of men! This is the changing of the ten thousand things, the bond of

Yu and Shun, the constant practice of Fu Hsi and Chi Ch'u. How much more should it be a rule for lesser men!"

 

04 - On the Nature of Mental Fasting

 

[Yen Hui said,] "May I ask what the fasting of the mind is?"

 

Confucius said, "Make your will one! Don't listen with your ears, listen with your mind. No, don't listen with

your mind, but listen with your spirit. Listening stops with the ears, the mind stops with recognition, but

spirit is empty - and waits on all things. The Way gathers in emptiness alone. Emptiness is the fasting of

the mind."

 

Yen Hui said, "Before I heard this, I was certain that I was Hui. But now that I have heard it, there is no

more Hui. Can this be called emptiness?"

 

"That's all there is to it," said Confucius. "Now I will tell you. You may go and play in his bird cage, but

never be moved by fame. If he listens, then sing; if not, keep still. Have no gate, no opening, but make

oneness your house and live with what cannot be avoided. Then you will be close to success."

 

05 - Understand It Before You Forget

 

"Fishing baskets are for catching fish. But when the fish are caught, you forget the baskets. Snares are

for catching hares, but when the hares are trapped, you forget the snares. Words are for conveying

ideas, but when the ideas are understood, you forget the words. How I'd love to talk with someone

who's forgotten all the words!" ( Tao - Finding the Way of Balance and Harmony, pp. 14-15 )

 

06 - Ideas Have Value, But Not the Highest Kind

 

"The world thinks the most valuable exhibition of Tao is found in its classic books. But books are only a

collection of words. Words are valuable: what is valuable in them is the ideas they convey. But

those ideas are a sequence of something else, and that something else can't be conveyed by words.

 

When the world, because of the value it attaches to words, commits those words to books, the thing it so

values them for may not deserve to be valued. Because what the world values is'nt what is really valuable."

( Tao - Finding the Way of Balance and Harmony, pp. 14-15 )

[Yen Hui]

This is where...JUST ENOUGH comes in. There are the uses of things worldy, but the desire for them is non

existent. This is what Zhuangzi meant there. Having to use those things over again does not depict a cycle

of (a)ny kind ...

Not necessarily. If we're talking the I Ching, it paints a slightly different kind of picture, as will appear

from the following:-

 

LINK=> The Great Treatise - Part 1 - Chapter 1 <=LINK

 

2. Therefore the eight trigrams succeed one another by turns, as the firm and the yielding displace each

other.

 

"Here cyclic change is explained. It is a rotation of phenomena, each succeeding the other until the

starting point is reached again. Examples are furnished by the course of the day and year, and by

the phenomena that occur in the organic world during these cycles. Cyclic change, then, is recurrent

change in the organic world, whereas sequent change means the progressive [nonrecurrent] change

of phenomena produced by causality.

 

"The firm and the yielding displace each other within the eight trigrams. Thus the firm is transformed,

melts as it were, and becomes the yielding; the yielding changes, coalesces, as it were, and becomes

the firm. In this way the eight trigrams change from one into another in turn, and the regular alternation

of phenomena within the year takes its course. But this is the case in all cycles, the life cycle included.

What we know as day and night, summer and winter--this, in the life cycle is life and death.

 

"To make more intelligible the nature of cyclic change and the alternations of the trigrams produced by it,

their sequence in the Primal Arrangement is shown once again. There are two direction of movement, the

one rightward, ascending, the other backward, descending. The former starts form the low point, K'un, the

Receptive, earth; the latter starts from the high point. Ch'ien, the Creative, heaven." ( Wilhelm's I Ching, p.

283-284 )

 

... only points to the true function of things in this world. To be used for the time they are used, and put

down during the times not being used.

Words are merely words, and therefore limited by nature in what they can convey. However, if we're

specifically talking about what the I Ching teaches, then, according to the above passage, all change

or movement is either cyclical by nature, or sequential. If it happens organically, that is, according to

nature, as you seem to be saying, then the change is cyclical.

 

If one eats only when one is hungry, or waits for the stomach to empty before refilling it, this means

waiting for the right time before moving. If one waits for the right time, then it is a natural movement,

repeated according to an organic cycle; at least that's my understanding of what the above quotation,

from the I Ching, is saying to us.

 

No personal attachment for it clouds the mind.

If one is not compelled by externals, that is to say, emotional thoughts, to continue stuffing one's face

until one explodes, then one lives an organic lifestyle, according to life's natural rhythms: Never filling

the stomach before it is empty, and never sleeping before one is honestly tired; this means waiting for

nature to do its thing, without any interference from ourselves, in harmony with its own organic cycles.

 

Furthermore, the above passage says that all recurrent change is cyclical by nature; whereas all other

change which is non-recurring is causal in nature, and therefore linear, or sequential as the text states

it. How to say it any other way presently escapes me.

[Yen Hui]

LINK=> The Great Treatise - Part 1 - Chapter 1 <=LINK

 

2. Therefore the eight trigrams succeed one another by turns, as the firm and the yielding displace each

other.

 

"Here cyclic change is explained. It is a rotation of phenomena, each succeeding the other until the

starting point is reached again. Examples are furnished by the course of the day and year, and by

the phenomena that occur in the organic world during these cycles. Cyclic change, then, is recurrent

change in the organic world, whereas sequent change means the progressive [nonrecurrent] change

of phenomena produced by causality.

 

"The firm and the yielding displace each other within the eight trigrams. Thus the firm is transformed,

melts as it were, and becomes the yielding; the yielding changes, coalesces, as it were, and becomes

the firm. In this way the eight trigrams change from one into another in turn, and the regular alternation

of phenomena within the year takes its course. But this is the case in all cycles, the life cycle included.

What we know as day and night, summer and winter--this, in the life cycle is life and death.

 

"To make more intelligible the nature of cyclic change and the alternations of the trigrams produced by it,

their sequence in the Primal Arrangement is shown once again. There are two direction of movement, the

one rightward, ascending, the other backward, descending. The former starts form the low point, K'un, the

Receptive, earth; the latter starts from the high point. Ch'ien, the Creative, heaven." ( Wilhelm's I Ching, p.

283-284 )

LINK 2=> Hexagram 15 - The Judgment - In Section 1 of Wilhelm

 

"It is the law of heaven to make fullness empty and to make full what is modest; when the sun is at

its zenith, it must, according to the law of heaven, turn toward its setting, and at its nadir it rises toward

a new dawn. In obedience to the same law, the moon when it is full begins to wane, and when empty of

light it waxes again. This heavenly law works itself out in the fates of men also. It is the law of earth to

alter the full and to contribute to the modest. High mountains are worn down by the waters, and the

valleys are filled up."

 

LINK 3=> Hexagram 32 - Line 1 - In Section 1 of Wilhelm

 

"Whatever endures can be created only gradually by long-continued work and careful reflection. In the

same sense Lao-tse says: "If we wish to compress something, we must first let it fully expand."

He who demands too much at once is acting precipitately, and because he attempts too much, he ends

by succeeding in nothing."

 

LINK 4=> The Great Treatise - Part 2 - Chapter 5

 

2. When the sun goes, the moon comes; when the moon goes, the sun comes. Sun and moon alternate;

thus light comes into existence. When cold goes, heat comes; when heat goes, cold comes. Cold and heat

alternate, and thus the year completes itself. The past contracts. The future expands. Contraction and

expansion act upon each other; hereby arises that which furthers.

 

3. The measuring worm draws itself together when it wants to stretch out. Dragons and snakes

hibernate in order to preserve life. Thus the penetration of a germinal thought into the mind promotes the

working of the mind. When this working furthers and brings peace to life, it elevates a man's nature.

 

4. Whatever goes beyond this indeed transcends all knowledge. When a man comprehends the

divine and understands the transformations, he lifts his nature to the level of the miraculous.

[林愛偉]

You know we can change what is fortold by the I Jing.

[fatherpaul]

to chart possiblilties is an endless task

[林愛偉]

to chart possiblilties is an endless task

 

 

 

That is why it is a waste of time to look at one's fate, and one's ups and downs. Go straight to ending it all, and then you are free from your own design. After that, an outcome is just an outcome. Nothing more nothing less.

 

This was told to me by a great master, and since I do not use quotations almost at all, I will not even take such a quotation as my own.

 

"An ordinary being follows fate on th eups and downs. Predicting and realizing the predicted result is still just an ordinary being. Predicting and changing the result regardless of its being good and or bad is a realized being. To stay on the cycle of ups and downs, is to still be on the cycle of one's karma. " Master Jing Kong

 

Wordly fate is just that. It is subject to change with or without your awareness. Whether you like it or not, doesn't make one a realized being. Only the ability to change it and let go of personal attachment to things will mark the mimnd of a realized being. Yet, not one mark remains.

One can get to the heavens through fate...and it is no easy task... but that would only leave them in the cycle. At some pooint, because of lack of cultivation, they would have to leave the heavens.

 

Don't waste time predicting and revelling the fact the prediction came true. That is not cultivation to go higher. it is only relying on one's skill to see the changes, which is still no easy deal, but doesn't mean one is going to be able to ...come and go as they please.

 

Cultivate, see the origins of one's outcomes and their outcomes. Change them both by changing the origins/roots.

 

I have things predicted by a Daoist Master whenever I go to visit her...on her own does she offer. When there seems to be a down of stability, because of certain influences of people, I quickly look to see who may be coming into the mind. I look to see my behavior, and character. Change them, and let go of the mind of needing stability. THen, as the situation comes to fruition, it simply fades as though it had no momentum to continue. When I relay the outcome to her, she says, Oh nothing happened..strange. I say, no it all happened, but things changed in the root, and thus no harm, and no peace.

By this she knows I changed the root causes for certain outcomes. She too says to go on th eup and down, and on one's prediction is just the ordinary person. Though cultivators also follow, it is still following on the ups and downs...it is not holding the reigns of the horses while diving the carriage.

We should be grabbing hold of the reigns, then stopping the horse. Get rid of the carriage and get rid of the horse. Now we are left with ourselves stuck out in the world...that is where the magic begins.

 

Peace,

Aiwei

[fatherpaul]

That is why it is a waste of time to look at one's fate, and one's ups and downs. Go straight to ending it all, and then you are free from your own design. After that, an outcome is just an outcome. Nothing more nothing less.

 

This was told to me by a great master, and since I do not use quotations almost at all, I will not even take such a quotation as my own.

 

"An ordinary being follows fate on th eups and downs. Predicting and realizing the predicted result is still just an ordinary being. Predicting and changing the result regardless of its being good and or bad is a realized being. To stay on the cycle of ups and downs, is to still be on the cycle of one's karma. " Master Jing Kong

 

Wordly fate is just that. It is subject to change with or without your awareness. Whether you like it or not, doesn't make one a realized being. Only the ability to change it and let go of personal attachment to things will mark the mimnd of a realized being. Yet, not one mark remains.

One can get to the heavens through fate...and it is no easy task... but that would only leave them in the cycle. At some pooint, because of lack of cultivation, they would have to leave the heavens.

 

Don't waste time predicting and revelling the fact the prediction came true. That is not cultivation to go higher. it is only relying on one's skill to see the changes, which is still no easy deal, but doesn't mean one is going to be able to ...come and go as they please.

 

Cultivate, see the origins of one's outcomes and their outcomes. Change them both by changing the origins/roots.

 

I have things predicted by a Daoist Master whenever I go to visit her...on her own does she offer. When there seems to be a down of stability, because of certain influences of people, I quickly look to see who may be coming into the mind. I look to see my behavior, and character. Change them, and let go of the mind of needing stability. THen, as the situation comes to fruition, it simply fades as though it had no momentum to continue. When I relay the outcome to her, she says, Oh nothing happened..strange. I say, no it all happened, but things changed in the root, and thus no harm, and no peace.

By this she knows I changed the root causes for certain outcomes. She too says to go on th eup and down, and on one's prediction is just the ordinary person. Though cultivators also follow, it is still following on the ups and downs...it is not holding the reigns of the horses while diving the carriage.

We should be grabbing hold of the reigns, then stopping the horse. Get rid of the carriage and get rid of the horse. Now we are left with ourselves stuck out in the world...that is where the magic begins.

 

Peace,

Aiwei

 

look at it like this

just for a sec

as a mental execise (not you lin, you will see)

 

the universe of fantasy

is like this huge endless bucket of Legos

every color size and function you can imagine.

"you" can build any fantasy you want out of it,

in fact, we all do.

 

in "what is"

there are no building blocks

 

"what is"

is not different from

"what is not"

 

(hope i muddied the waters adequately)

 

 

peace and happy pancakes,

paul

[林愛偉]

look at it like this

just for a sec

as a mental execise (not you lin, you will see)

 

the universe of fantasy

is like this huge endless bucket of Legos

every color size and function you can imagine.

"you" can build any fantasy you want out of it,

in fact, we all do.

 

in "what is"

there are no building blocks

 

"what is"

is not different from

"what is not"

 

(hope i muddied the waters adequately)

peace and happy pancakes,

paul

 

 

HAHAHA I love it!

[Bob H]

drop what you think you know

and allow intelligence to awaken

 

Father Paul,

 

The economy of your words help me focus. It's far easier to concentrate on the details of a twig, than to make closely ordered sense of a whole forest.

 

I hope you post here a long time. I admit my motives for that are selfish.

 

Thank you.

 

Bob

[林愛偉]

Three important qualities to cultivate and deepen ; Patience, Compassion and Wisdom.

Three important qualities to acquire to push you along cultivation; Stubborness, Selfishness and Proper desire.

 

Stubborn to not retreat frmo the path of cultivating the Way. Selfish to dilligently look for the proper teachings for cultivating the Way. Proper Desire to realize the result of proper cultivation.

 

If one doesn't cultivate the first three of Patience , Compassion and Wisdom, and they use the second three, they will be unsuccessful in their cultivating of the Way.

The first three are the foundation and where the foundation is laid as well as what comes forth from the foundation. THe second three are to keep yourself in check and constantly aware of what goes through your mind during your time in body...FOR CULTIVATING THE WAY.

 

Peace and Happiness,

Aiwei

Edited July 11, 2007 by 林愛偉

[mat black]

Three important qualities to cultivate and deepen ; Patience, Compassion and Wisdom.

Three important qualities to acquire to push you along cultivation; Stubborness, Selfishness and Proper desire.

 

Stubborn to not retreat frmo the path of cultivating the Way. Selfish to dilligently look for the proper teachings for cultivating the Way. Proper Desire to realize the result of proper cultivation.

 

If one doesn't cultivate the first three of Patience , Compassion and Wisdom, and they use the second three, they will be unsuccessful in their cultivating of the Way.

The first three are the foundation and where the foundation is laid as well as what comes forth from the foundation. THe second three are to keep yourself in check and constantly aware of what goes through your mind during your time in body...FOR CULTIVATING THE WAY.

 

Peace and Happiness,

Aiwei

 

 

Very important points. Great insight.

Thank you

Edited July 11, 2007 by mat black

[Leidee]

i learn the important, life shaping stuff mostly by accident

[Cameron]

i learn the important, life shaping stuff mostly by accident

 

 

Accidents and failures are at the top of my list of learning experiences.

[fatherpaul]

Father Paul,

 

The economy of your words help me focus. It's far easier to concentrate on the details of a twig, than to make closely ordered sense of a whole forest.

 

I hope you post here a long time. I admit my motives for that are selfish.

 

Thank you.

 

Bob

 

seeing the entire forest in the twig, yes.

 

the wind blows south or east

not knowing where its going

[fatherpaul]

look at it like this

just for a sec

as a mental execise (not you lin, you will see)

 

the universe of fantasy

is like this huge endless bucket of Legos

every color size and function you can imagine.

"you" can build any fantasy you want out of it,

in fact, we all do.

 

in "what is"

there are no building blocks

 

"what is"

is not different from

"what is not"

 

(hope i muddied the waters adequately)

peace and happy pancakes,

paul

 

i would add one more thing

 

what is contains your entire bucket of legos

[beancurdturtle]

Three important qualities to cultivate and deepen ; Patience, Compassion and Wisdom.

Three important qualities to acquire to push you along cultivation; Stubborness, Selfishness and Proper desire.

Isn't it interesting.

 

Our objective is a benevolent impartiality, balance, harmony and the like. To live at an accepting point where we actualize it without thought. At this point there is no need to divine anything.

 

When we begin the path we start with focus and desire - seeming unbalanced. Reading, studying, crazy for cultivation.Then the pendulum swings back to the middle.

[Yen Hui]

You know we can change what is fortold by the I Jing.

Yes, I know. The teaching of the I Ching is very clear about that. It says we have the power to master our

fate, if we would only reconnect with "The Creative" power inherent within ourselves, (also referred to as

our "primal spirit mind",) learn to know the seeds, and master the changes. What it means by the seeds,

I'll leave you to discover. But regarding mastering our fate, this is precisely what it says:-

 

The Great Treatise of the I Ching - Part 1 - Chapter 4

 

4. In it are included the forms and the scope of everything in the heavens and on earth, so that nothing escapes

it. In it all things everywhere are completed, so that none is missing. Therefore by means of it we can penetrate

the tao of day and night, and so understand it. Therefore the spirit is bound to no one place, nor the Book of

Changes to any one form.

 

"We are shown here how the individual can attain mastery over fate by means of the Book of Changes. Its

principles contain the categories of all that is--literally, the molds and the scope of all transformations. These

categories are in the mind of man; everything, all that happens and everything that undergoes transformation,

must obey the laws prescribed by the mind of man. Not until these categories become operative do things

become things. These categories are laid down in the Book of Changes; hence it enables us to penetrate and

understand the movements of the light and the dark, of life and death, of gods and demons. This knowledge

makes possible mastery over fate, because fate can be shaped if its laws are known. The reason why we

can oppose fate is that reality is always conditioned, and these conditions of time and space limit and

determine it. The spirit, however, is not bound by these determinants and can bring them about as its

own purposes require." (END OF I CHING QUOTE)

 

So, yes, if we can master our fate, that would mean "we can change what is foretold by the I Jing." That is

the very reason why even bother to consult the Oracle. If we learn to trust its counsel, and correctly follow

it, we can change what it has fortold, if it warns of misfortune. If it foretells a good fortune, then why would

you even want to change it? You would follow its instructions on how to secure that future for yourself. This

is called acting and moving in harmony with the Great Way, or the harmonious way of non-contrivance.

 

Now, in his book entitled Zen Wisdom, Chan Master Sheng-yen makes the following statement, which is in

complete harmony with the above teaching of the I Ching. To me, they appear almost identical, though it

is hard to tell from the Master's words below whether or not he understands the concept of synchronicity,

though I suspect he understands it better than I do. He's the Master! Nonetheless, here's what he says:-

 

FROM CHAN MASTER SHENG-YEN'S ZEN WISDOM

 

Student [asks]: "Are causes and conditions controllable? Can I manipulate them to directly control my

life?"

 

Master Sheng-yen [replies]: "The Avatamsaka Sutra states that all dharmas are created by the mind.

If our minds change, then causes and conditions also change. Whichever direction our minds move,

so do causes and conditions. If our attitudes change, then what we perceive also changes. If we do

not make an effort to change our lives and minds, then we will be influenced by the course of events

we have already set into motion. If we adopt Buddhadharma into our worldview, then causes and

conditions will shift direction, and events in our lives will change." (p. 39) [END OF QUOTE]

 

One aspect of the I Ching's teaching above which is not quite clear in Master Sheng-yen's words, is

the precise place of the "primal spirit mind" in this reconstruction of reality. According to the above,

the I Ching says that the physical (conditioned) mind is incapable of effecting the changes, and that

the change must come from the primal spirit mind, which possesses "The Creative" power that can

shape form reality. I would suspect Master Sheng-yen believes that as well, but it is not clear from

the above passage that he does.

 

However, he does refer to the Avatamsaka Sutra, which must be taken into consideration; and that

Scripture fully corroborates the I Ching's teaching, in that regard, as well as touching the principle of

synchronicity, or the similtaneous manifestation and interconnectedness of all phenomena. It is very

important for anyone aspiring to master the art of I Ching divination to be clear about synchronicity.

In his Foreword to Wilhelm's I Ching, Carl Jung makes the following observations concerning it:-

 

THREE QUOTES FROM JUNG'S FOREWORD TO WILHELM'S I CHING:-

 

01 - The manner in which the I Ching tends to look upon reality seems to disfavor our causalistic

procedures. The moment under actual observation appears to the ancient Chinese view more of a

chance hit than a clearly defined result of concurring causal chain processes. The matter of interest

seems to be the configuration formed by chance events in the moment of observation, and not at

all the hypothetical reasons that seemingly account for the coincidence. While the Western mind

carefully sifts, weighs, selects, classifies, isolates, the Chinese picture of the moment encompasses

everything down to the minutest nonsensical detail, because all of the ingredients make up the

observed moment.

 

02 - In other words, whoever invented the I Ching was convinced that the hexagram worked out in

a certain moment coincided with the latter in quality no less than in time. To him the hexagram was

the exponent of the moment in which it was cast -- even more so than the hours of the clock or the

divisions of the calendar could be -- inasmuch as the hexagram was understood to be an indicator

of the essential situation prevailing in the moment of its origin.

 

03 - This assumption involves a certain curious principle that I have termed synchronicity, a concept

that formulates a point of view diametrically opposed to that of causality. Since the latter is a merely

statistical truth and not absolute, it is a sort of working hypothesis of how events evolve one out of

another, whereas synchronicity takes the coincidence of events in space and time as meaning some-

thing more than mere chance, namely, a peculiar interdependence of objective events among them-

selves as well as with the subjective (psychic) states of the observer or observers.

 

The ancient Chinese mind contemplates the cosmos in a way comparable to that of the modern physicist,

who cannot deny that his model of the world is a decidedly psychophysical structure. The microphysical

event includes the observer just as much as the reality underlying the I Ching comprises subjective, i.e.,

psychic conditions in the totality of the momentary situation. Just as causality describes the sequence of

events, so synchronicity to the Chinese mind deals with the coincidence of events. The causal point of

view tells us a dramatic story about how D came into existence: it took its origin from C, which existed

before D, and C in its turn had a father, B, etc. The synchronistic view on the other hand tries to produce

an equally meaningful picture of coincidence. How does it happen that A', B', C', D', etc., appear all in the

same moment and in the same place? It happens in the first place because the physical events A' and B'

are of the same quality as the psychic events C' and D', and further because all are the exponents of one

and the same momentary situation. The situation is assumed to represent a legible or understandable

picture. [END OF QUOTES]

 

Well, that's all I'm prepared to say about it, for the time being, that is. Peace to the Bums!

Edited July 12, 2007 by Yen Hui

[Yen Hui]

to chart possiblilties is an endless task

Charting possibilities has absolutely zero to do with I Ching divination.

 

 

That is why it is a waste of time to look at one's fate, and one's ups and downs.

The above comment only tells me you do not understood the I Ching's teaching concerning "fate", or

how to master it. Time does not permit me to explain right now. Perhaps later, if the right conditions

prevail. I'll be watching. Nevertheless, if you are familiar with Hexagram One (<=LINK), you should

be well-versed in it's teaching about harmonious movment, or movement in harmony with the Tao. But,

since time is the basis of all movement, then moving in harmony with the Tao requires harmonizing the

passage of "time", or making "time" harmonious. This is clearly implied in the following passages:-

 

THREE QUOTES FROM HEXAGRAM ONE:-

 

01 - The first hexagram is made up of six unbroken lines. These unbroken lines stand for the primal

power, which is light-giving, active, strong, and of the spirit. The hexagram is consistently strong in

character, and since it is without weakness, its essence is power or energy. Its image is heaven. Its

energy is represented as unrestricted by any fixed conditions in space and is therefore conceived of

as motion. Time is regarded as the basis of this motion. Thus the hexagram includes also the power

of time and the power of persisting in time, that is, duration.

 

02 - Applied to the human world, these attributes show the great man the way to notable success:

"Because he sees with great clarity and cause and effects, he completes the six steps at the right

time and mounts toward heaven on them at the right time, as though on sic dragons." The six steps

are the six different positions given in the hexagram, which are represented later by the dragon

symbol. Here it is shown that the way to success lies in apprehending and giving actuality to the

way of the universe [Tao], which, as a law running through end and beginning, brings about all

phenomena in time. Thus each step attained forthwith becomes a preparation for the next. Time

is no longer a hindrance but the means of making actual what is potential.

 

03 - "The course of the Creative alters and shapes beings until each attains its true, specific nature,

then it keeps them in conformity with the Great Harmony." [END OF QUOTES]

 

But according to the teaching of Hexagram One, "time" is a creation of the Mind. Thus, in order to make

it harmonious requires the cultivation of mindfulness, or the continuous "awareness" of present time. We

can also refer to this as "presence of mind." This is also implied in Hexagram One. But in his First Lecture

on the I Ching, Wilhelm makes the following statement:

 

"Such attention as is snatched from us while we watch passively is, as a rule, not harmonious. However,

by preparing the beginning of the coming day in time, that is, when God comes forth in the sign of the

Arousing, it is possible to make the day harmonious." ( Lectures, pp. 15-16 )

 

And in Hexagram Two, it says this: =>

 

"If he knows how to meet fate with an attitude of acceptance, he is sure to find the right guidance. The

superior man lets himself be guided; he does not go ahead blindly, but learns from the situation what is

demanded of him and then follows this intimation from fate."

 

It's implied in the above statement, that the clear intimations of fate are always present, but in order to

discern them, in order to harmonize the flow of time, we must be present as well. This is what I mean by

"presence of mind," or being fully "aware" of the present moment. The Ancestors created the Oracle for this

precise purpose, that is, to correctly discern and identify these "present" intimations, which the Ancestors

referred to as "the seeds" of destiny. The I ching says these "Seeds" are the first "imperceptible" signs of

change; and in order to effectively harmonize "time", one must first know "the seeds." Thus, it is said in

the I Ching that "to know the seeds is divine indeed."

Edited July 12, 2007 by Yen Hui

[zenbrook]

seeing the entire forest in the twig, yes.

 

When facing a single tree, if you look at a single one of its red leaves, you will not see all the others.

When the eye is not set on one leaf, and you face the tree with nothing at all in mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye without limit.

But if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there. Takuan Soto

 

Peace,

ZenB

[fatherpaul]

 

When facing a single tree, if you look at a single one of its red leaves, you will not see all the others.

When the eye is not set on one leaf, and you face the tree with nothing at all in mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye without limit.

But if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there. Takuan Soto

 

Peace,

ZenB

 

what you say is so, but it does not grasp the meaning.

 

 

 

Charting possibilities has absolutely zero to do with I Ching divination.

The above comment only tells me you do not understood the I Ching's teaching concerning "fate", or

how to master it. Time does not permit me to explain right now. Perhaps later, if the right conditions

prevail. I'll be watching. Nevertheless, if you are familiar with Hexagram One (<=LINK), you should

be well-versed in it's teaching about harmonious movment, or movement in harmony with the Tao. But,

since time is the basis of all movement, then moving in harmony with the Tao requires harmonizing the

passage of "time", or making "time" harmonious. This is clearly implied in the following passages:-

 

THREE QUOTES FROM HEXAGRAM ONE:-

 

01 - The first hexagram is made up of six unbroken lines. These unbroken lines stand for the primal

power, which is light-giving, active, strong, and of the spirit. The hexagram is consistently strong in

character, and since it is without weakness, its essence is power or energy. Its image is heaven. Its

energy is represented as unrestricted by any fixed conditions in space and is therefore conceived of

as motion. Time is regarded as the basis of this motion. Thus the hexagram includes also the power

of time and the power of persisting in time, that is, duration.

 

02 - Applied to the human world, these attributes show the great man the way to notable success:

"Because he sees with great clarity and cause and effects, he completes the six steps at the right

time and mounts toward heaven on them at the right time, as though on sic dragons." The six steps

are the six different positions given in the hexagram, which are represented later by the dragon

symbol. Here it is shown that the way to success lies in apprehending and giving actuality to the

way of the universe [Tao], which, as a law running through end and beginning, brings about all

phenomena in time. Thus each step attained forthwith becomes a preparation for the next. Time

is no longer a hindrance but the means of making actual what is potential.

 

03 - "The course of the Creative alters and shapes beings until each attains its true, specific nature,

then it keeps them in conformity with the Great Harmony." [END OF QUOTES]

 

But according to the teaching of Hexagram One, "time" is a creation of the Mind. Thus, in order to make

it harmonious requires the cultivation of mindfulness, or the continuous "awareness" of present time. We

can also refer to this as "presence of mind." This is also implied in Hexagram One. But in his First Lecture

on the I Ching, Wilhelm makes the following statement:

 

"Such attention as is snatched from us while we watch passively is, as a rule, not harmonious. However,

by preparing the beginning of the coming day in time, that is, when God comes forth in the sign of the

Arousing, it is possible to make the day harmonious." ( Lectures, pp. 15-16 )

 

And in Hexagram Two, it says this: =>

 

"If he knows how to meet fate with an attitude of acceptance, he is sure to find the right guidance. The

superior man lets himself be guided; he does not go ahead blindly, but learns from the situation what is

demanded of him and then follows this intimation from fate."

 

It's implied in the above statement, that the clear intimations of fate are always present, but in order to

discern them, in order to harmonize the flow of time, we must be present as well. This is what I mean by

"presence of mind," or being fully "aware" of the present moment. The Ancestors created the Oracle for this

precise purpose, that is, to correctly discern and identify these "present" intimations, which the Ancestors

referred to as "the seeds" of destiny. The I ching says these "Seeds" are the first "imperceptible" signs of

change; and in order to effectively harmonize "time", one must first know "the seeds." Thus, it is said in

the I Ching that "to know the seeds is divine indeed."

 

the i-ching is a pile of dog poop

life is long gone from here

[zenbrook]

what you say is so, but it does not grasp the meaning.

Yes, it doesn't

 

Peace,

ZenB

[Yen Hui]

the i-ching is a pile of dog poop

life is long gone from here

 

how wise. you are the new grand pooh-bah and master of disaster!