How do you learn?

[mantis]

woohoo needed that extra hint to get it!!

[Yen Hui]

Assuming fate already exists, what relevance does understanding it have to our moment to moment

existence?

BCT, if fate is merely some future event, then how can we ever experience it? But if it's a reality that we

eventually experience, then fate signifies, in some sense, present time's inner design or configuration, as

it has come to be through intent and creative decision. According to the I Ching, our task is to master fate,

but that requires understanding. How can we master fate, from moment-to-moment, if we do not understand

it, or how it unfolds according to the laws of movement? If we can understand those laws, then we can "pre-

calculate" our movements, and harmonize the passage of time, in both its contracting and expanding phases.

 

If the reality already exists, what is the purpose of divining it?

If the theory of synchronicity, as summarized by Jung, (in that quote from him already posted twice in this

thread,) has any truth to it, then the Oracle which we receive, in response to our question, is necessarily a

reflection of present time, from the standpoint of its imperceptible existence, during the beginning or early

phase of its gradual unfolding. In my previous post, you have a long string of pearls from the I Ching and

TTC which spell this out clearly, in some reasonable depth. At any rate, according to those, all beings and

forms within the world of the senses, come to exist first in the world of spirit before they ever begin to take

physical shape in the world of nature.

 

This is the clear and undeniable teaching of Hexagrams One and Two, where it is stated that "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;" and that nature, i.e. the Earth Mother, conforms to the creative impulses of the

spirit. These creative impulses exist in the spirit realm long before they begin to appear or take shape in the

visible world of the senses. So, from that standpoint, or the standpoint of the spirit world, they already exist,

even though they may not have, as yet, begun to unfold and take shape or physical form within the world of

nature.

 

So long as these creative impulses have not yet crossed over the gulf, or threshold seperating the worlds of

spirit and nature, and begun to take physical shape, then positive changes can still be effected to harmonize

the unfolding of time; and to create a state of equilibrium within nature and the world of sense. Whether we

like it or not, we exist in the world of nature and the senses, according to our own creating, and we have the

power to effect positive changes, in time, but do we have the clarity to do so? We do, if we can but reconnect

and harmonize with our primal spirit mind and original nature.

 

Isn't it more proper to just live it?

I suppose that depends on your philosophy of life, or what you think it means to live properly. According to

the I Ching, to live properly means consciously adhering to principle, and the way of nature. Living according

to nature means modelling ourselves after Heaven and Earth, which are denoted in Wilhelm's I Ching as the

primal images of the Creative and Receptive powers of the universe.

 

Now, it is clearly stated in Hexagram Two that the nature of Earth is to conform to the creative impulses of

Heaven, or the spirit world. Conforming to the creative impulses of the spirit mind means living in harmony

with the invisible forces of the hidden. As Lao Tzu has written: "Those who in ancient times were competent

as masters were one with the invisible forces of the hidden." ( Wilhelm, TTC, 15 ) And in TTC 64, it's also stated

that: "One must work on what is not yet there. One must put in order what is not yet confused."

 

If you take the time to investigate this line of thought through the string of pearls offered in my previous post,

I think you'll begin to comprehend the philosophy of "knowing the seeds," and its critical relevance to the art

of wu-wei, or the way of harmonious non-action. Being one with the invisible forces of the hidden, according to

the way of the sages, means doing things while they are still easy and simple to do. Is it not easier to uproot

an oak tree, for example, while it's still a seed or seedling, rather than after it has fully grown?

 

So, back to the opening paragraph...If fate is "right now, in present time" what purpose does divination

accomplish. Are you saying that we can right now, in present time know what fate will bring to our future,

or that divination helps us understand what's happening right now, in present time?

According to I Ching teaching, the Oracle is a practical tool or way "to know the seeds" which are the first

imperceptible signs of change. Harmonious living requires cultivating an awareness of the signs of the times,

and acting in harmony with them, far in advance to their full growth and manifestation; and even creatively

manipulating the way these seeds of change gradually progress and unfold. That is the clear and undeniable

teaching of the following Hexagram One passage: "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."

 

Therefore, to model ourselves after the image of Father Heaven ultimately means harmonizing ourselves with

"the course of the Creative," as a co-creator in the art of altering and shaping "beings until each attains

its true, specific nature." That ultimately means becoming a vessel of healing and wholeness to a lost world;

to creatively assist in gently guiding society back to a primal state of innocence and purity, long lost to civilized

society, so-called. Let's look once again at the following passage from Hexagram One, which contains the heart

or essence of this teaching, about the practical relevance of "knowing the seeds":-

 

"The Chinese word here rendered by 'sublime' means literally 'head,' 'origin,' 'great.' This is why Confucius

says in explaining it: "Great indeed is the generating power of the Creative; all beings owe their beginning to it.

This power permeates all heaven." For this attribute inheres in the other three as well. The beginning of all

things lies still in the beyond in the form of ideas that have yet to become real. The Creative furthermore

has power to lend form to these archetypes of ideas. This is indicated in the word success, and the process

is represented by an image from nature: "The clouds pass and the rain does its work, and all individual beings

flow into their forms."

 

Now, the most important words, for me, are cogently expressed in the last line: "The clouds pass and the rain

does its work, and all individual beings flow into their forms." What this image depicts is that the gradual birth,

emergence and unfolding of all natural phenomena (shapes, forms, and beings,) strictly conforms to the way

of organic growth and fruition, according to a well-defined system of natural laws. Though the term seed is'nt

explicitly used in this image, it is clearly implied within the context. All beings and forms first emerge from the

spirit as germs of life, which follow an organic pattern of growth and development. The cloud and rains mean

nothing and can do nothing without the seed, for the spark of life resides in the seed; yet the seed can't realize

its true nature by itself, without the creative participation and life-giving forces of the clouds, rain, and sun-light,

which co-operate in the work of awakening the germ of life which lies dormant and hidden deep within the seed;

and these forces are the conditions of life provided by the Earth Mother, who organically nurtures that life.

 

From the standpoint of modelling yourself after the Earth Mother, that means becoming a nurturer. Learning

to nurture and bring things through to completion. That means providing the right conditions for optimum or

peak growth, so that all natural things might completely realize their true nature in good time, and according

to an organic pattern of growth. Work out all possible inferences and applications on your own. Thus, what the

healer-sage concerns himself with is the nature of these seeds, and the right conditions of life and death. Then

may s/he only completely realize her/his own creative potential and true nature.

 

So, then, yes, I am saying that the Oracle helps us to discern the specific trends of events, while they are

yet "seeds", and still in the germination phase or seedling stage. These "seeds" are also defined, in the I

Ching, as belonging to the class of phenomena know as the "signs of the times," while still in the germinal

stage. "Signs of the times" are often visible for a long time before we become aware of them, but the sage

is aware of them while they are still seeds, and imperceptible to the ordinary person. Now, I ask you: Is it

wise or sage-like to ignore the signs of the times? Or to study and harmonize our creative activity according

to those signs? How the I Ching and TTC answer such a question is clearly reflected in my previous post, for

those who have taken the time to actually peruse it.

 

Ok, a better question is, in the context of your opening paragraph, what purpose is there to divination?

Well, once again, if you believe there is any truth to the theory of synchronicity, then the Oracle that one

receives, through the casting of the coins, is an accurate depiction of the configuration and inner design of

present time; and the current trend of its flow, through the expanding and contraction phases. Again I ask:

If our task is, according to Hexagram One, to harmonize the flow of time, and master fate, is it not wise to

conceive a way to know the precise configuration of present time; at the beginning of all events, while things

are still small and easy to guide in their gradual unfolding?

 

That is the precise purpose of the Oracle: To assist us in the creative activity of life, according to Hexagram

One, by revealing the imperceptible configuration and inner design of all movement(s), while still yet in their

germinal and seedling phases of gradual unfolding.

 

Again, I'm not arguing. I hope to better understand your thoughts. Please try to answer in your own words.

That may seem a presumptuous request, but some of your writing sounds to me like the "Allah exists because

the Holy Koran tells me so." flawed logic I hear from my Muslim friends.

 

Edited July 30, 2007 by Yen Hui

[beancurdturtle]