Sameness of self and other tends towards interbeing.
Spiritual influence nourishing all.
Benefit from approaching the sacred realm on Earth
Benefit from the qualities of a sage.
Structure:
· Inner clarity 7, outward strength 1. First wisdom, then creative action.
· Creative over knowing. Knowing the Creative.
· Peaceful union depends upon clarity within and strength without, held together by one yielding nature among many firm ones.
We experience two realms: the many and the one. The separation of self and other
differentiates into the ten thousand things.
Within the realm of the spirit, all are one, the same. With sufficient presence, we have moments of
knowing the sameness within the flux of experienced life. We glimpse the mystery, the unknowable, and somehow
we know. There is only one ocean. The experience and consciousness are the
same.
The sun shines on everything, but only the living benefit
from the sun and grow. Just so in the
dispensing of spiritual blessings: the
Tao has no favorites, yet only those open to the spirit benefit from these
blessings. In the same way, the sage
extends its blessings to everyone, but only those open to the Tao benefit from
the sage’s wisdom.
Preference and Prejudice
Most people relate only with those who share their personal
ideas and opinion, even if wrong. Most
differ from those they dislike even if the others hold the truth. We divide the world[1]
between Us and Them, self and other. The
Us might include family, friends, those who share the same beliefs, attitudes,
and external attributes such as income, class, caste, nationality. Everyone else who is not an Us is a
Them. Such divisiveness can lead to
inequality, racism, genocide, and species extinction.
Sages relate to others in the same way, like the sky
covering everything. They come to see
what benefits all, just like the sun shining on everything. The path of sameness with others depends upon
the wise community adapting to change, assessing the time, and then making the
most skillful response to the situation to manifest the spirit within the
world.
Sages associate in ways equally accessible to all concerned,
not limiting close relationships to kinship or to groups based on self-benefit,
partisanship, or prejudice. Such a community
arises out of friendly relationships, moral behavior, mutual support, and
inherent enthusiasm. Unity does not have
be forced as everyone within the community wants to be part of it. Everyone enjoys the benefits of being
together.
Those living within such a community develop healthy
relationships with others, trusting the trustworthy and meeting others
half-way. Rather than use force and
harshness, the wise use reserve and reticence.
They always correct their misdeeds quickly.
Interbeing
Relating with others openly and without preference and
prejudice is the great association of life and the transition into the cosmic
realm. Great things can be
undertaken. The same sages who brought
forth this new era now organize humanity and create a fellowship of all beings. The ways of this new era have the stamp of
uniqueness, which signifies a time of ascent and renewal.
While many aspire to experience a community of interbeing
within their lives, few have achieved it.
The world has never attained such true fellowship.
However, even though we may not attain the community of interbeing
within our lifetime, we can and must prepare for it. For the time has come for humanity to crossover
into the realm of interbeing. Those who
are called to build this bridge will forge the path to achieve both human
rights and the rights of all life.
Sages extend courtesy and friendliness toward all, and they
take care to surround themselves with the wise to mutually assist in bringing
to life the Way of humanity to resolve the difficulties of the world. They join openly with others practicing the
Way of humanity, the path based upon the universal concern of overcoming
suffering caused by self-cherishing hostility for the other. All who share the Way of humanity have equal
access to this union.
We can experience sameness with all when we with unite with
others through strong feelings of fellowship.
Such times arise when we have the intuition of the connection between
the mystery and life and between Earth and people. When we base true fellowship upon universal
concerns, upon the goals of humanity and all life, this unity can accomplish
great tasks.
If there is no self, there is no other. We can be like the sky covering everything,
like the sun shining everywhere. Through our faith in the sameness of all,
great things can be done, unheard of things become possible, the unattainable
obtained.
Line 1: The gathered have no personal bias, no
prejudice, no preferences. They relate to others equally without divergent aims
or secret agreements. All have equal access to the basic principles of the union. Secret agreements lead to disunion.
Awakened beings bring about fellowship with radiant clarity. The universal community emerges out of
knowledge supported by strength.
Line 2: In this situation, people associate only
with those based on the similarity of kind, excluding strangers, demonstrating prejudice
and preference, the path of shame and regret.
Their sameness does not reach far.
Hostility and selfish interests underlie the formation of
factions, a dangerous situation. Exclusive
groups do not welcome all and willingly harm others for self benefit.
Line 3: Hatred, dishonesty, and violence fill this unbalanced
line. This strong lines wants the weak 2nd
line, which already belongs to 5th line. The line wants to prevent their relationship,
but because of its weakness, it resorts to cunning and does not act in a direct
way. It spies and prepares an ambush but
does not come forth. This line offers a deep look into the mentality of selfish
and hostile people.
Line 4: The weak and incorrect line knows it does not
have the power to contend with the 5th line, the true partner of the
2nd line. It climbs the wall
to attack the 5th, but it knows the injustice of its purpose and
does not attack. The line recognizes the
difficulties within the situation and renounces its desire, returning to the Way. Reforming oneself through respect for justice
bodes well.
The reconciliation that follows a quarrel moves nearer. Dividing walls still separate one from
another, but the difficulties prove too great, bringing the line to its senses.
The line recognizes it cannot commit an injustice, which marks the turn to
improvement.
Line 5: Circumstances keep apart two people who are at
one in their hearts. They do not let
anything separate them even though it costs them a severe struggle to overcome
the obstacles. When they unite, their
distress turns into joy.
Personal feelings of attraction and aversion block sameness
with others. Wise leaders renounce
partiality and associate with the whole world as the same. The sage, intent on developing others,
remains completely firm and impartial, eventually moving others by sincerity
and truth. Others honor and emulate the
sage.
Line 6: The line lacks the fellowship of warm
attachments as it is outside fellowship with others. Yet it allies itself with those whom it
shares enlightened qualities.
The line does not attain the sought for universal community,
but the time has not come for that possibility.
The line joins others of like-mind to find ways to benefit all.
[1] World does not refer to nature but to how people live within nature. The world – civilization, culture, history, society, science, economy, education, technology – is embedded as a subsystem within the natural system. People create their world through the choices they make.
