Hexagram 13 Changing to Hexagram 1

Hexagram 13 Fellowship with Others

Reading from today after 1.2-hour meditation, early this morning. Critical that we clear our minds, via meditation or mantra before framing the question and asking same during the tossing of the I Ching Bronze coins. The best practice is to meditate 1 hour prior to consultation. This will give you time to settle the discursive thoughts and focus on the one question you are asking the Oracle to answer.

Hexagram 13 addresses the proper basis for relationships with others. It generally comes as a sign that some kind of self-correction is in order in this arena.

Proper relationships, whether in love, work, family, or friendship, must be founded on and conducted under proper principles in order to succeed. Our model for how to behave with others is the Sage; in relating we are obliged to practice kindness, humility, correctness, equanimity, and openness. Wherever we depart from these we lose the aid of the Higher Power and risk an encounter with misfortune.

The fundamental rule of the I Ching for the conduct of relationships is that they take place in the open. This means that every facet of a relationship should be seen as fair and correct by everyone concerned, not just yourself. It also means that it is improper to enter into or continue in relationships with unspoken reservations or hidden intentions.

Exceptional things can be accomplished by those who come together correctly in fellowship now under the guidance of an enlightened leader or leader. Seek that role by patterning yourself after the Sage. Meet others halfway in a spirit of sincerity and receptivity. Give trust where it is due; where it not, do not resort to harshness-reserve and reticence are adequate measures. Avoid the formation of factions and cliques, and correct your errors in relationships as soon as you become aware of them. In this way, you can accomplish magnificent deeds now.

Second Line: Do Not form factions, either by excluding others or by failing to correct yourself in some way. Misfortune results when unity and truth are ignored.

“In 1967 I met Neem Karoli Baba, a meeting which changed the course of my life. In the depth of his compassion, wisdom, humor, power, and love I found human possibility never before imagined…an extraordinary integration of spirit and form. I was with him only briefly for he left his body in 1973, still, he entered my heart as living truth, and his presence continues to enrich and guide my life.” — Ram Dass “There can be no biography of him. Facts are few, stories many. He seems to have been known by different names in many parts of India, appearing and disappearing through the years. His western devotees of recent years knew him as ‘Neem Karoli Baba,’ but mostly as ‘Maharajii’–a nickname so commonplace in India that one can often hear a tea vendor addressed thus. Just as he said, he was ‘Nobody.’ He gave no discourses; the briefest, simplest stories were his teachings. Usually, he sat or lay on a wooden bench wrapped in a plaid blanket while a few devotees sat around him. Visitors came and went; they were given food, a few words, a nod, a slap on the head or back, and they were sent away. There was gossip and laughter for he loved to joke. Orders for running the ashram were given, usually in a piercing yell across the compound. Sometimes he sat in silence, absorbed in another world to which we could not follow, but bliss and peace poured down on us. Who he was was no more than the experience of him, the nectar of his presence, the totality of his absence–enveloping us now like his plaid blanket.” — Anjani

Sogyal Rinpoche ~ A simple practice of meditation

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The basics of meditation are actually very simple. Anyone can meditate anywhere, any time. Sit in an upright, comfortable and relaxed position. Keep your mouth slightly open as if you were about to say “Ah”, and breathe through the mouth. Keep your eyes open. Allow your gaze to be relaxed and natural. Don’t focus your gaze too strongly or start a running commentary about what you see. Simply relax your mind. Let your mind be as-it-is: open, spacious, and calm, yet completely aware. Sit quietly: body still, speech silent, mind at peace. Neither block thoughts, emotions, and sensations, nor follow after them. Allow them to rise, but maintain a presence of mind, a center of awareness. When you remain in awareness, you see that your thoughts are not really you. They are passing clouds, not the sky-like mind they pass through. Gradually, you become free of thoughts. You discover the confidence of your true nature and come to rest in natural great peace. This teaching is an extract from a teaching Rinpoche gave in Melbourne in 2013.

Sogyal Rinpoche ~ A Guided Practice of Meditation

This is the seventh part of teaching from Sydney, 5 February 2017. The first part of this teaching can be watched at https://youtu.be/-cb34Uj0MLY The second part can be watched at https://youtu.be/DHX0xx6bVM8 The third part can be watched at https://youtu.be/mWaU-rpSQzw The fourth part can be watched at https://youtu.be/doP8F4fJGFw The fifth part can be watched at https://youtu.be/WP7vNlJgBUQ The sixth part can be watched at https://youtu.be/8GZ1C3zD-cA The eighth part can be watched at https://youtu.be/QxIslzLItPg

https://www.durhamcool.com/baba-neem-karoli/