Are you the Empty Vessel or the Hollow Bamboo?

Imagine that the water pouring through the bamboo and into the pot is Love, Light, Source, or Universal Consciousness….God if you will. Take a moment to consider how the bamboo and the pot function, and what happens to each as the water of Consciousness continuously flows.

Many traditions around the world embrace the core concept of the Empty Vessel. The foundation of the practice is that as you become full with ideas, knowledge, or ego, you must give up or give away that which has filled you so that you may attain innocence and egolessness and therefore experience Oneness.

In the Daoist tradition that I follow, there is much talk about being an Empty Vessel. There are even books and magazines and CDs about it. This idea comes from many sources, but one of the originals is Verse 11 of the Dao De Jing (Derek Lin translation) which says:

Thirty spokes join in one hub
In its emptiness, there is the function of a vehicle

Mix clay to create a container
In its emptiness, there is the function of a container

Cut open doors and windows to create a room
In its emptiness, there is the function of a room

Therefore, that which exists is used to create benefit

That which is empty is used to create functionality

This teaching shows that only when it is empty can a cup function to hold the liquid you want to drink; only when it is empty can a room contain the furniture for your comfort. Carried into the realm of spirituality, only when it is empty can your mind contain universal consciousness and be filled with Divine Oneness.

Eventually, however, the vessel becomes full again, and either spills over uncontrollably or must be emptied by revisiting the same methods (or trying some new methods) that you used to empty it the last time.

However, if you embrace the paradox of diversity within oneness and are interested in helping others as well as being filled with divine consciousness yourself, the Hollow Bamboo is the way to go. Take a look at the bamboo again: as a channel for universal energies and divine consciousness, it is always full, as well as always sharing this fullness with others.

Here is a lovely metaphor for it, found again in Derek Lin's translation of the Dao De Jing. In the chapter below, the Valley Spirit represents the receptivity of earth. When the heavenly energies settle onto the earth, like the water through the bamboo, they flow to the lowest places. The valley, being the lowest place, collects the most heavenly energies.

Chapter 6

The valley spirit, undying
Is called the Mystic Female

The gateway of the Mystic Female
Is called the root of Heaven and Earth

It flows continuously, barely perceptible
When utilized, it is never exhausted

Just ponder the profound truth of that for a moment: It [heavenly energy and consciousness] flows continuously……When utilized, it is never exhausted.

Isn't the same true of Light, Love, Divine Consciousness? As it pours into you from the universe, and as you allow yourself to be a channel that it may flow through you to provide the same for others, do you not participate in the paradox of diversity while at the same time being always and completely filled with Light, Love, and participating in Universal Oneness?

Of course you do!

So, maybe it's better to be a piece of Hollow Bamboo and to remain full of Light and Love, and leave the Empty Vessel to others.

Derek Lin's online translation of the Dao De Jing may be viewed on his True Tao website Follow the links to the translation of the Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing).

Symbolism of Orion's Belt

The identification of these three stars as a belt is a very old one. The Arabic names of two of the stars reflect this: Mintaka means 'the belt' and Alnitak means 'the girdle'. (The name of the third star, Alnilam, means 'the string of pearls'.) It has been suggested that the three Belt-stars influenced the placing of the Pyramids at Giza, and it is certainly true that there is a remarkable correspondence of position between the Pyramids and the stars. (courtesy of glyphweb.com)

Across the centuries, the three stars we know familiarly as Orion's Belt have held a special meaning to many people in many cultures, especially when the number three held spiritual significance as kings, wise men, or gods.

Here are a few of those stories:

The Three Kings of the pyramids

http://ad2004.com/Biblecodes/Hebrewmatrix/pyramidspt1.html

Pyramid	Egyptian Name	Greek Name	Star in Orion
great pyramid	Khufu	Cheops	Alnitak
center pyramid	Khafre	Chephren	Alnilam
smallest pyramid	Menkaura	Mycerinus	Mintaka

The Three Magi of Christian Tradition
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Magi

The word Magi is a Latinization of the plural of the Greek word magos (μαγος pl. μαγοι), which is a derivative from Old Persian Magupati. The term is a specific occupational title referring to the priestly caste of a branch of Zoroastrianism known as Zurvanism. As part of their religion, these priests paid particular attention to the stars, and gained an international reputation for astrology.

The phrase from the east is the only information Matthew provides on where the Magi came from, apart from identifying that they come from their own country rather than Judea. Traditionally the view developed that the Magi were Persian or Parthian, a view held for example by John Chrysostom, and Byzantine art generally depicted them in Persian dress. The main support for this is that the first Magi were from Persia and that land still had the largest number of them. Some believe they were from Babylon, which was the centre of Zurvanism, and hence astrology, at the time. Brown comments that the author of Matthew probably didn't have a specific location in mind and the phrase from the east is for literary effect and added exoticism. Though the Bible does not number the Magi [nor, apparently, name them], traditionally there were always seen to be three, as three of the gifts were specifically named.

In the Eastern church a variety of different names are given for the three, but in the West the names have been settled since the 8th century as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. The names of the Magi derive from an early 6th century Greek manuscript in Alexandria, translated into the Latin Excerpta Latina Barbari. The Latin text Collectanea et Flores continues the tradition of three kings and their names and gives additional details of their clothes, coming from Syria. This text is said to be from the 8th century, of Irish origin. In the Eastern churches, Ethiopian Christianity, for instance, has Hor, Karsudan, and Basanater, while the Armenians have Kagbha, Badadakharida and Badadilma.

In China, the three stars of Orion's Belt represented the Three Pristine Ones in Daoism: Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, Celestial Worthy of Original Beginnings, Celestial Worthy of the Dao and Inner Power

Also from China, the three belt stars represented the Chinese Star Lords of Good Fortune whose worship began in the 15^th c., Fu (Prosperity/Wealth), Lu (Success) and Shu (Longevity). However, Shu was worshipped much earlier, as early as the 3^rd c. BCE

In Shinto beliefs: http://www2.gol.com/users/stever/orion.htm According to Uchida (1973), many Japanese came to call the three belt stars of Orion Taishikou San Daishi. Taishikou refers to Winter, and San Daishi refers to three great preachers or teachers. Around the 11th month of each lunar calendar year, on the 23rd and 24th days, various celebrations were and still are made honoring three particularly significant Buddhist teachers who founded sects of that religion in the Nara and Heian eras of Japan: Tendai Daishi (founder of the Tendai Buddhist Sect), Saichou (follower and teacher of the Tendai sect), and Kobo Daishi (founder of the Shingon sect and also famous for establishing the 88 temples of Shikoku around the 9th century).

One can hardly speak of the stars of the Belt of Orion without mentioning the significance of Sirius, the Dog Star. For more information on Sothis/Sopdet/Sirius the Dog Star see How Long Does a Phoenix Live .

Daoism on Concentration

"Imagination, song, the soaring spirit.

Separate them to know them as aspects of the whole,

Join them to know the mystery of totality.

"The mind, if focused, can become the most powerful force we know. Yet for most of us, we are lost in the vastness of our own uncharted minds. We play around with different aspects, find certain modes that we can get by with, and leave the rest unexplored. Those who follow Tao do not do this. They want to explore all the dimensions of the mind so that they may find a wholly integral mode of consciousness.

"The primary means of exploration is through concentration of the mind. Practitioners first select an aspect and delve into it by daily focus. Only when they have fully understood do they go on. It is like studying. When you are first introduced to a subject, you must put your attention to work in order to master the knowledge. Such concentration leads to absorption, like mixing liquids together in a bottle: Once they are combined, they cannot be distinguished from one another.

"With concentration, all the various aspects of the mind can be joined together into one superconscious mode. Sound is the same as sight, taste is the same as smell, touch is the same as thought, and all that we are is identical with the spiritual energy that resides within us. In this high concentration, there is complete union, and we feel the joy of total integration with all our facets."

"Concentration" from 365 Tao: Daily Meditations by Deng Ming-Dao

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Some years ago here in the U.S. a television commercial solicited money to send young minority students to college. The tag line was "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."

When you think about "Concentration," you will realize that you waste so much of your mind on flitting thoughts and idle mental chatter. Concentration seems to be something of the past in this day of multi-tasking where you are typing away either on a laptop computer or a PDA, and engaging in a conversation at the same time.

When was the last time you were driving, eating, and talking on your cell phone all at the same time? I'll bet it was not all that long ago....last week? Yesterday? This morning? When was the last time you were reading a book for pleasure or a bedtime story to your children while mentally going over tomorrow's "To Do" list?

The mind is an amazing thing, but it can think about only one thing at a time. Consider this experiment: You are in a dark room and you must read two papers on related topics, but you can see only one paper at a time. The light that allows you to read the papers is your mind, but it is like a flashlight, able to illuminate only one page at a time. Now, shine your mind (the flashlight) on one piece of paper and read one sentence.

Now, flip the light over to the other piece of paper and read the first sentence. Now, flip back to the first paper and read the second sentence; flip to the second paper and read the second sentence; flip to the first paper and read the third sentence; flip to the second paper and read the third sentence. (I encourage you to perform this little experiment for real and then assess how much of the content of any of those sentences is still in your mind, and how well you can distinguish the writings from the first paper to the second!)

How well did you do? The writings are all jumbled together, aren’t they? Now, multiply the results of the experiment by twelve, fourteen, even sixteen hours each and every day.

This is how you use the “most powerful force we know,” by dividing it and scattering it until it is useless. Think of the most powerful army in the world. How powerful would it be if its forces were divided and scattered all over the globe? (You’ve heard of “divide and conquer,” haven’t you?) Your army would be very weak and ineffective, and so too is your mind when you scatter your mental forces in too many directions, onto too many tasks at once.

Consider the accomplishments of someone you admire; a professional or Olympic athlete perhaps, or a scientist or inventor. Did this object of your admiration rise to the heights of fame or fortune he or she enjoys by flitting from one thing to another? Or, did he or she use dedication, focus, and concentration on his or her chosen task to accomplish the goal?

Spiritual advancement depends as much on concentration as worldly pleasures and accomplishments. There are no short-cuts to enlightenment. This is not what most people want to hear, but it is completely honest and true. Your advancement entirely depends on your level of dedication and devotion.

This is the most important statement in today’s writing: "The mind, if focused, can become the most powerful force we know." If you are completely focused, if you are mindfully dedicated to attaining whatever goal you set for yourself, You Cannot Fail.

There is one very important thing to notice in all of this talk: there is no mention of the emotions. You should not bring your emotions into play when using the power of your mind. Emotions cause you to judge your desires. This often creates inner conflict between what you want to accomplish (earn a million dollars!) and what your past will allow (yeah, sure…in a million years).

If your past experiences lead you to believe you will fail, or you feel unworthy to attain the goal you have set for yourself, the emotions will often find a way to cause you to self-sabotage, thereby leading you to fail.

Do not fall into that trap; leave your emotions at the door when you enter the practice of mindful concentration, and dedicate yourself to attaining your goals and the Dao.

The numbers 63 and 64, the I Ching, and fractions of the Eye of Horus.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Horus

The Eye of Horus (originally, The Eye of Ra) is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and power, from the deity Horus or Ra. In the Egyptian language the word for this symbol was "wadjet" (according to M. Stokstad "Art History").

The Eye of Horus, originally the Eye of Ra, symbolized royal power. The ancients believed this symbol of indestructibility would assist in rebirth. The Eye of Horus was found under the 12th layer of bandages on Tutankhamun's mummy. Horus was an ancient Egyptian sky god; one of his eyes was the sun and the other the moon. The eye represents a peregrine falcon's eye and the markings around it, including the "teardrop" marking sometimes found below the eye.

In arithmetic

In the Ancient Egyptian measurement system, the Eye Of Horus defined an Old Kingdom rounded off number limited by: one(1)= 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + 1/32 + 1/64. The Eye of Horus statements created 6-term rounded off numbers. The Old Kingdom definition had dropped a 7th term, a remainder 1/64, that was needed to report exact series. During the Middle Kingdom exact series definitions and applications were written by creating 7-terms, or more, written as Egyptian fraction series, often scaled to 1/320 hekat. For example, the Akhmim Wooden Tablet wrote quotients in the Eye of Horus 6-terms, while writing 7th term remainders as Egyptian fractions, scaled to 1/320 of a hekat. The metaphorical side of this information linked the Old Kingdom six fractions, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, and 1/64 to separate parts of the eye, as noted by:

· 1/2 was represented by smell, symbolized by the right side of the eye in a form of the nose. The pyramid text says: "Behold [the fire] rises in Abydos and it comes; I cause it to come, the Eye of Horus. It is set in order upon thy brow, O Osiris Khenti-Amenti; it is set in the shrine and rises on thy brow."

· 1/4 was represented by sight or the sensation of light, symbolized by the pupil. The pyramid text says: "Perfect is the Eye of Horus. I have delivered the Eye of Horus, the shining one, the ornament of the Eye of Ra, the Father of the Gods."

· 1/8 was represented by thought, symbolized by the eyebrow. The pyramid text says: "...the Eye of Horus hath made me holy...I will hide myself among you, O ye stars which are imperishable. My brow is the brow of Ra."

· 1/16 was represented by hearing, symbolized by the left side of the eye in the form of an arrow pointing towards the ear. The pyramid text says: "That which has been shut fast/dead hath been opened by the command of the Eye of Horus, which hath delivered me. Established are the beauties on the forehead of Ra."

Headline text

· 1/32 was represented by taste, by the sprouting of wheat or grain from the planted stalk, symbolized by a curved tail. The pyramid text says: "Come, the Eye of Horus hath delivered for me my soul, my ornaments are established on the brow of Ra. Light is on the faces of those who are in the members of Osiris."

· 1/64 was represented by touch, symbolized by a leg touching the ground, or what can also be thought of as a strong plant growing into the surface of the earth. The pyramid text says: "I shall see the Gods and the Eye of Horus burning with fire before my eyes!"

In the Middle Kingdom the 1/64 symbol denoted 'rest' and 'healing' as connected to the hekat, with the word dja being attached.

*** End Quote ***

What I find so amazing about this is that the numbers 63 and 64 have a very special significance in the Yijing (I Ching) also.

Hexagram 63 is called "After Completion." This is the only hexagram in the I Ching in which all six lines are in their proper places. There is an energetic law in the I Ching that favors the "weak" yin/broken lines resting on the "strong" yang/whole lines, so it is usually favorable that when comparing pairs of lines, the lower line be yang, the upper line be yin.

In observance of this energetic law or rule, yang lines in places (counting from the bottom to the top) 1, 3, and 5; yin lines in places 2, 4, and 6 constitute energetic perfection and balance. The pairs of lines are all in complete harmony: the yang and yin pairs of lines are 1/2, 3/4, and 5/6. They also are compared in pairs of lines 1/4, 2/5, 3/6.

So, in the I Ching as in the Eye of Horus, the number 63 appears to be the end. After all everything has been completed, all the lines of the hexagram are in harmony and in the right places. The trigram for water is above the trigram for fire, indicating that the energetic movement of each is toward the other….water moves down to combine with fire, and fire moves upward to combine with water. With its parts that add up to 63, the Eye of Horus appears to be whole and complete as well

So, what is the next step? Why is the Eye not a complete 64/64? Why does the final hexagram, hexagram 64, contain all the line comparison harmonies of hexagram 63, but have all the lines are in the wrong places, all the yang lines are "resting" on yin lines? That just won't do!

The next step after completing something is starting something else. A new life perhaps?

The final hexagram is named "Before Completion." The Image (referring to the upper and lower trigrams of three lines each) says: "Fire over water. The image of the condition before transition." Perhaps it means before the transition to immortality!

In Daoist philosophy, there is the concept of immortality. Each person is born with multiple souls. Some of these are heavenly souls (fire) and some are earthly (water). Through a practice called the Kan and Li Qigong (Water and Fire Energy Practice), a person can attain immortality by melding together his heavenly and earthly energies, his water and fire energies.

Some believe the I Ching is a map of how a person should work with their energies and souls to attain immortality. If they manage to complete the process, they reach the perfection of hexagram 63. If not, their energies move apart as they do in hexagram 64, the energies of fire rising skyward, and the energies of water flowing earthward, and immortality is not attained.

Some believe the Eye of Ra is a symbol of immortality also, especially the immortality of Ra of course, but there is something missing, here, too. The eye has everything it needs except a pupil….that part of the eye through which a person can see. An eye without a pupil is as good as no eye at all, for one cannot see with it. Is it possible that the missing 1/64 of the eye is the pupil, that part of the eye that would grant Vision, perhaps of an immortal or enlightened type?

Possibly this is so. The number 64 is the square of 8, and squares of numbers tend to have special significance, such as 3X3, and especially 7X7 (which we see in the saying "the seventh son of a seventh son").

The number 8 can represent two different ideas of wholeness or completeness. First, on a two-dimensional level, it can represent the eight directions; in time, it can represent the eight special days of the year, the two solstices and equinoxes as well as the cross-quarter days, the days that fall between the solstices and equinoxes. Second, on a three-dimensional level, the number 8 can represent the corners that form the earth (shades of the ancient "square earth" theory), and the four corners that hold up the sky! Without four heavenly corners, the sky would just fall and there would be no earth.

So, it seems very reasonable that the number 63 would symbolize a life well lived and well spent, and that 64 would be an indication of a life just starting over again!

In hexagram 64 we have balance and harmony, just in the wrong order, and if you give the Eye a pupil, that last little 1/64 of its weight, it will surely see it's way clear to return from the Otherworld of Osiris and make a new life here on Earth again.

Whether that new life is a rebirth or a resurrection is a topic for another post. :-)

Symbolism of numbers - especially 108

Just about every culture around the globe has thoughts and ideas attached to numbers. There's "lucky 7" and "unlucky 13," the "4 corners of the earth" (which actually is grounded in observation of the rise and set of the sun on the solstices), "two's company, three's a crowd" when you're on a date and want to be alone with your special someone. I'm sure we all remember our mom saying, "I've told you a million times….." Then there is the mysterious pinnacle of numerological significance, the n^th straw that broke the camel's back.

Numbers and numerology can be fun, but they are very serious, too. Most numerological symbolism and significance comes from the observation and recording of celestial events, the wheeling of the Big Dipper in the sky is of particular interest in China, the Stars and Constellations helped to mark the seasons of the year for ancient peoples, the Sun and Moon are of special importance even today to calculate the date on which Easter will fall. (In case you are curious, non-Orthodox Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox.)

Below you can enjoy some writings on numbers and numerology, especially the number 108 which is known to have great significance in Buddhism and Hindu traditions.

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As we are taught by the I Ching, keeping the calendar, which meant keeping track of days, solar and lunar months, solstices and equinoxes, and years in cycles of 60, was a sacred duty by which man learned to understand cycles-within-cycles and order within the universe.

Hexagram 49, "Revolution" from The I Ching or Book of Changes Wilhelm/Baynes translation:

Fire in the lake: the image of Revolution.
Thus the superior man
Sets the calendar in order
And makes the seasons clear.

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The writing “Numbers” from 365 Tao: Daily Meditations by Deng Ming-Dao

One gives birth to two, two gives birth to three,

Three gives birth to the ten thousand.

One hundred and eight counts make one cycle,

Constant turning creates all things.

Today is the one hundred and eighth day [of the year*]. Why are numbers so important to those who follow Tao? Even today, when numbers are more commonly yoked to the service of finance and engineering, there are those who revere numbers with the cheap version of mysticism -- superstition. Numbers form a closed world with mysteries to explore and exploit if our understanding is deep enough.

Followers of Tao emphasize certain numbers: One is the unity of Tao. Two is duality. Three is the unevenness that will generate movement. Four is the seasons. Five elements generate the world. Six parts of the body are the arms, legs, head, and trunk. Seven is the day of the waxing moon by the lunar calendar. Eight is the number of divination. Nine is the number of life. Ten is heaven's cycles.

There are twenty-four periods in a year, each with its own characteristics. Thirty-six is six squared. One hundred and eight is three cycles of thirty-six and represents a greater cycle, although there are even more esoteric connotations attached to it.

Numbers are only symbols, a way for human beings to project order upon the universe. They are a language more precise than words. But does Tao talk? Numbers are important to master, but take care to look beyond language and numbers to the true reality that they foreshadow.

* This writing was assigned to the date of April 18, the 108^th day of the year.

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Verse Sixty-one of the The Hua Hu Ching: Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu translated by Brian Walker

To understand the universe, you must study and understand these things:

First, the Oneness, the Tao, the Great Tai Chi

Second, the Great Two, the forces of yin and yang;

Third, the Three Main Categories, expressed either as Heaven, Earth, and Man, or as body mind, and spirit;

Fourth, the Four Forces, strong, weak, light, and heavy;

Fifth, the Five Elements, symbolized by water, fire, wood, metal, and earth;

Sixth, the Six Breaths--wind, cold, heat, moisture, dryness, and inflammation--which transform the climate and the internal organs;

Seventh, the processes of change and recycling;

Eighth, the Eight Great Manifestations--Heaven, Earth, Water, Fire, Thunder, Lake, Wind, and Mountain--the combinations of which reveal the subtle energetic truth of all situations, as taught in the I Ching.

Understanding these things, you can employ them internally to leave behind what is old and dead and to embrace what is new and alive. Once discovered, this process of internal alchemy opens the mystical gate to spiritual immortality.

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Just what is it about the number 108 that is so special? Perhaps we will find a hint in the multiples.

A few of the multiples are: 2X54, 3X36, 4X27, 5X21.6, 6X18, 7X15.428571, 8X13.5, 9X12, 10X10.8, 24X4.5

How about some other relationships? 108/60=1.8, 108/120=.9

In the base 60 numeric system, 108 = decimal 128

Hmmmmmmm…… Well, here are a few explanations and ideas. I have included the url at the beginning of each section of quoted information. I hope you will visit these websites and read the complete articles…I think you will enjoy them!

Explanation One:

In Buddhism, 108 is a prescribed number of times to repeat prayers or mantras among other things. See The Number 108 in Buddhism:

108 is seen as a very special one in particular, as it refers to the number of defilements to overcome to gain enlightenment, and it is derived from the following formula:

The Three Sense Experiences (times) The Six Senses = 18

Aversion or Craving to these experiences = 18 X 2 = 36

Past, Future, and Present incidents of aversion of craving = 36 X 3 = 108

The three sense experiences are:

* good, ie pleasurable

* bad, ie unpleasant

* neutral, ie indifferent

The six senses are

* touch

* taste

* smell

* sight

* hearing

* consciousness (It should be noted that Buddhism considers that the mind is a sixth sense that senses thought objects.)

Temples will often have 108 steps for example, and malas (rosaries) usually have 108 beads.

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Explanation Two:

One-hundred-eight is also sacred to the Hindus: See 108:

The number 108 is sacred in Hindu philosophy as a number of completeness frequently associated with astrology. The average distance between the Earth and the moon is approximately 108 times the diameter of the moon (More accurately, 110), and the same relationship exists between the Earth and the Sun (107.8 to be exact). This is why the Sun and the moon appear the same size. Also, there are 9 planets and 12 Zodiac constellations, so there are 108 possible ways to place a planet in a constellation.

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Explanation Three:

There is yet another idea – this happens to be my personal favorite – at Why 108?:

Big 1, little 8

One of the arithmetical properties of 108 is dependent on the choice of counting system. In the near-universally used decimal counting system, the quantity 108 is expressed as “108”, meaning “1 hundred, 0 tens, 8 units”. In other counting systems, it would look different, e.g. in a duodecimal (12-based) system, it would be written as “90”, and in the binary system, it is written as “1101100”. Assuming the conventional decimal system, what is remarkable about “1-0-8”?

Like 18, it brings together the numerals 1 and 8, with the former in the leading and the latter in the lowly position. The main difference (valid even more in subsequent numbers like 1008) is merely that an abyss of worshipful distance is created between the regal 1 and the servile 8. So, let us briefly focus on this symbolism of 1 and 8. It is chiefly remarkable as a reference to yet other important symbols.

8 1 6

3 5 7

4 9 2

[Flipped top-to-bottom, this is the magic square known as the Luo Shu used in Flying Star Feng Shui, and each of the eight outer numbers corresponds to a trigram (gua) of the I Ching – Phoenix.]

In the magic square of 9, there is 1 little square in the middle and 8 on the periphery. Also, the 1 central number is 5, the sum of the 8 peripheral numbers is 40, yielding a ratio of 1:8. The magic square itself, with equal sums of the three numerals on every line, is an important symbol of cosmic order, balance and integration. Painted on walls or wrought into little metal plates it is used as a luck-charm.

The Golden Section and 108°

But for now, we may settle for the division [of a circle] in 360°. In that case, the angle of 108° has a unique property: the ratio between the straight line uniting two points at 108° from each other on a circle’s circumference (in effect one of the sides of a 10-pointed star) and the radius of that circle equals the Golden Section. Likewise, the inside of every angle of a pentagon measures 108°, and the pentagon is a veritable embodiment of the Golden Section, e.g. the ratio between a side of the 5-pointed star and a side of the pentagon is the Golden Section. So, there is an intimate link between the number 108 and the Golden Section. But why should this be important?

The Golden Section means a proportion between two magnitudes, the major and the minor, such that the minor is to the major as the major is to the whole, i.e. to the sum of minor and major. The general equation yielding the Golden Section is A/B = (A + B)/A, or alternatively but equivalently, X = 1 + 1/X. In numbers, X = (1 + square root 5)/2; or decimally, X = 1, 618… This infinite series of decimals can be replaced with a more predictable infinite series of numbers, viz. X equals the limit of the series G/F in which F is any member and G is the very next member of the Fibonacci series, i.e. the series in which every member equals the sum of the two preceding members: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144,… This means that every next fraction G/F, i.e. 1/1, 2/1, 3/2, 5/3, 8/5 etc. forms a better approximation of the Golden Section, whose value can be approximated to any desired degree of precision if fractions of sufficiently highly-placed members of the Fibonacci series are considered.

In art and architecture, it is found that the Golden Proportion is naturally pleasing to our inborn tastes. In living nature, there are plenty of sequences where every member stands to the preceding member in a Golden Proportion or its derivatives (square root etc.), e.g. the distances between or the sizes of the successive twigs growing on a branch, the layers of petals on a flower, the rings of a conch, the generations of a multiplying rabbit population, etc. What this symbolizes is the law of invariance: in every stage of a development, the same pattern repeats itself. The son is to the father as the father was to the grandfather. Wheels within wheels: every whole consisting of parts is itself likewise part of a larger whole. And the principle of order: the underling obeys the orders of his master to the same extent that the master obeys the requirements of the whole. Or with a pre-feminist maxim: “he for God alone, she for God in him”, i.e. the wife serves the husband because (and to the extent that) the husband serves the cosmic order defining his duties. As Confucius said, the authority of the ruler, his capability of making the people willingly obey him, is that he himself obeys the Laws of Heaven.

So, the Golden Section is a meaningful symbol in the cosmological, aesthetical and ethical realms. And somewhere in a corner of Golden Section lore, in the pentagon and decagon, we see the number 108 participating. This is meritorious though perhaps a bit too indirect to count as sensational.

[There is an excellent section in this article about the sacred numbers 9 and 12, but it is a bit lengthy for inclusion here. I do hope you will visit the url and read the entire article for yourself. It’s quite interesting and enjoyable! – Phoenix] Why 108?

Square times cube

Among other intrinsic and ever-unchangeable properties, it may be hard to choose which one is sufficiently relevant. Thus, 108 equals the sum of the first 9 multiples of 3, viz. 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24. This reconfirms its intimate relation with the richly symbolic number 9, but then, so what?

Slightly more remarkable is that 108 equals the product of the second power of 2 and the third power of 3, i.e. the first non-trivial even and odd numbers multiplied by themselves as many times as themselves. In figures: 108 = 2² x 3³, or 108 = 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 3. This way, it unites on their own terms the polar opposites of even and odd, the numerical counterparts of female and male, yin and yang, etc.

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Amazing, isn't it? And that's just a drop in the numerical bucket!

Numbers….they aren't just for math class!

Being One with the Dao

Fu Xi

Father of Daoism

Almost everyone is familiar with the first line of the first verse of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching): "The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao" (– Tao Te Chingtranslated by Stephen Mitchell).

If you can perceive the whole of it, if you can name it, if you can define it, you have brought it into the realm of the small and manageable, so it cannot be the eternal Tao. Whatever else the Dao is, it is not small, manageable, or nameable.

Here is Stephen Mitchell's complete translation of Verse One of the Dao De Jing:

"The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.

The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin of all particular things.

Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.

Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source.
This source is called darkness.

Darkness within darkness.
The gateway to all understanding."

So, even though we can't name the Dao, discuss it with family and friends, does that mean we don't experience it?

I believe we do – we experience it every single day, perhaps many times a day, we just do not recognize it for what it is. We call it dreaming, and daydreaming, and believe it is all internal, our thought patterns going off on flights of fancy while we rest.

Sleeping and daydreaming are about as "internal" as your mind….and you know that your mind is not a physical thing tethered to your particular physical locale. If it was, you would never have to say, "Oh, sorry, I missed what you just said, my mind was wandering."

Your mind regularly experiences the Dao. How? Through the darkness, of course, the "gateway to all understanding."

In this instance, darkness does not mean absence of light, it indicates the yin principle which, among other things, is symbolized by darkness. The most famous of the yin principles, right after "female" is "receptive." In the harmonious workings of the universe, the yin principle is open and receptive to everything the yang principle bestows.

Even though yin is earthly and physically manifest, it receives the Dao through the immaterial, spiritual yang just as the earth beneath your feet receives the energy of heat and light from the heavenly sun.

In order to receive the energy of this enlightenment, you must enter the darkness, or the state of receptivity. Of course, you can learn to do that through various forms of meditation. However, that practice and discipline is connected to your desire to achieve a particular level of spiritual consciousness. This is often expressed as getting in touch with your Higher Power, your Higher Self, your Higher Consciousness, some call it God Consciousness, or tapping into the Universal Unconscious.

Many people believe that desire and goal setting, working diligently toward the achievement of that desire, is the only way to attain that particular level of consciousness. Oftentimes, these people are interested in attaining the full and complete understanding of all universal principles. Yes, that is one type of enlightenment, but it is not necessary to achieve that to experience being One with the Dao.

The truth is, many Oneness and enlightenment experiences are spontaneous – every time you experience an "Ah-ha!" moment, you have received a message and are enlightened in some way. When and how do you experience "Ah-ha!" moments? Usually when you least expect it and are thinking about nothing at all! You are at rest, at least mentally, and are therefore receptive to these spontaneous experiences.

You are at your most receptive when you sleep and when you daydream because you are not directing your mind or attention. Every day as a matter of course and of the human condition, you open yourself to messages of spiritual awareness. Hearing those voices which you have educated yourself out of hearing and following is instinct, intuition. In our modern day, about the only time we completely open ourselves to the receptive state through which we can receive these messages is when we are daydreaming or asleep.

In fact, I believe we move from physical to spiritual every time we go to sleep. At the REM stage of sleep when the body is most relaxed and regenerating, the mind is most active! This is the stage in which we dream. In the REM sleep stage, someone could poke you, and your body would not feel it; generally a person does not experience physical feelings such as pain when asleep. Some researchers thing that when in this sleep stage, you couldn't make your body move if you wanted to; it is too physically relaxed to respond to stimulus of any kind.

Likewise, if we are awake but day-dreaming, I believe we enter the same sort of spiritual (at least non-corporeal) awareness…we lose track of and don’t feel the physical body while in this awake/day-dream state, and we usually lose track of time, too, which is another indication of being in a spiritual place.

I believe that any daytime (or at least "non-sleep-time") awareness shift between spiritual and physical may not have anything to do with desire or reaching a goal (except perhaps to become unattached to normal, thinking awareness), it may simply be a matter of allowing ourselves to follow our natural instincts toward daydreaming and physical dissociation.

You will notice that this awareness has a common thread….dreams. In fact, the word "dream" is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word related to "mirth, joy, and music."

And when do we dream? When our mind is in "darkness," when it is in "receptive mode."

The verse tells us:

"Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.

Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source.
This source is called darkness.

Darkness within darkness.
The gateway to all understanding."

I believe that the message of these lines is to devote yourself to spontaneous experiences of enlightenment in order to become one with the Dao. The I Ching sheds some light on the meaning here, also.

Two things that "arise from the same source" are the I Ching trigrams of Earth and Water. In the Heavenly circular arrangement of trigrams, Earth stands in the North. In the Earthly circular arrangement, Water stands in the North. North is symbolic of darkness, darkness being "yin." So here we have two yin/darkness things springing from the same source, but one is spiritual, one is physical:

Free from desire – Water – symbolic of Tao & the spiritual.
Caught in desire – Earth – represents the physical manifestation.

Even more interesting is looking at the hexagrams formed by putting the trigrams together: earth over water (hexagram 7) or water over earth (hexagram 8).

Here is some information from the I Ching website of LiSe Heyboer:

Hexagram 7

Legion, Leader

Hex.7 is not only an army but also 'organizing', especially talents and assets. The character Shi means army, teacher, to teach, master, tutor, a model or example, to pattern or model after another, and a specialist (especially music, painting, divining or medicine).

Hexagram 8

Stand By (often a.k.a. Assembly, or Unity)

Bi(3): The character represents two people standing or walking behind each other. Original meaning: to juxtapose. Later to be close to, compare, equal, similar. A person turned to the left, REN(2), (2) is man, a person turned to the right, BI(3), (3 and 4: deceased mother) is a symbol for female. North, BEI(3), (5) is two people standing back to back - or a man and a woman. The middle between East and West? [The numbers in brackets refer to character diagrams on the website.]

Part of the interesting thing here is that most of the lines in these two hexagrams are darkness/yin; the only bright/yang lines are (always counting the lines from the bottom to the top) line 2 in hexagram 7, and line 5 in hexagram 8. Lines 2 and 5 represent Man in the Earth-Man-Heaven sequence of trigram lines, lines 1, 2, and 3.

By changing either of the yang man lines (hexagram 7 line 2, or hexagram 8 line 5) into yin lines, you turn the hexagram into Hexagram 2: (trigram earth doubled) Earth; The Receptive (the receiver of the spirit of heaven and makes it manifest).

By changing either of the yin man lines (hexagram 7 line 5, or hexagram 8 line 2) into yang lines, you turn the hexagram into Hexagram 29: (trigram water doubled) which is usually called “Pitfall, Danger.” There is a paradox here in that changing dark/yin lines to bright/yang lines actually takes you to a place of even deeper darkness – the “pit.” But also consider that water is the way of Tao, so double water is completely spiritual.

Even more interesting is that the character for Hexagram 29 (double water = double Tao) shows a man falling into a chasm….taking that "leap of faith" perhaps. Alfred Huang in his book The Complete I Ching: The Definitive Translation by the Taoist Master Alfred Huang calls hexagram 29 "Darkness." Consider the line from the Tao Te Ching: "Darkness within darkness, The gateway to all understanding." The man falling into the chasm is, symbolically, "falling" into the Tao (the water and the "understanding").

Now, falling is usually pretty spontaneous, and coincidentally (is there really such a thing as coincidence?) we often speak of falling asleep…in fact, many people (including me) often wake with a start just as I am falling asleep because I experience that "falling" sensation.

Ultimately, to experience Oneness with the Dao, be open and receptive, and don't try to plan it, allow yourself the spontaneous experience as you dream at night or during the day.

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Daoism on Gain (Harvest)

The writing I share with you is "Gain" from p. 176 of Everyday Tao: Living with Balance and Harmony by Deng Ming-Dao, Harper San Francisco, NY, 1996, ISBN 0-06-251395-8.

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Gain

"Some people might say it is hard to pursue Tao without the gain to support one's endeavors. But it's important to distinguish the exact types of gain that will actually bring us profit.

"In the beginning, the ancients taught very simple and direct ways to live with Tao. But as time went on, people embellished the teachings until they became a very complicated body of knowledge that took a thousand volumes to document. Tao became the pursuit of the rich and cultured. Only they could afford the herbs, the lessons, the expensive art materials, the beautiful living locations, the servants, the travel, and the myriad other luxuries that afforded the freedom to pursue Tao. For many centuries, the simple and rustic ideals of the ancients were obscured by wealth, alchemy, artistic pursuits, and eccentricity.

"We who want Tao may imagine that we will never succeed if the wealth and cultured living of the past are required. But that is not so. Do not be misled by the trappings of those who lived in the past. Look instead to what actually exists in your own life. As long as you live and breathe, as long as your heart beats and your mind dwells on the way, Tao can be found.

"If we look at the image of 'gain,' there is a lesson for us. (Ed: the Chinese image/character for 'gain' is two characters, 'grain' and 'a knife.') Gain is simply the result of harvest. We don't need a fancy lifestyle. We need know only where to look for grain and when to harvest it. Those who harvest the ordinary are those who ultimately gain."

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What do you need to attain your spiritual goals? This is something I have struggled with over the years - feeling I needed this teacher, that book, some other paraphernalia to get where I wanted to go. Many people will tell you, you need a Guru, a Master (and by the way, make sure he or she has the "right" lineage!), a special ceremony in a remote temple, or at least in the Master's home or office. There are certain books you must study, and only the Master can tell you when you've studied enough; certain skills you must learn before your practice can be effective, and the skills are often hard to come by or costly.

So, what do you really need? You need You - that is all. Sure, some guidance is in order; maybe a mentor, or maybe a few great books (and I have found that, with the exception of the I Ching, if you have four books on any spiritual topic, that is probably enough - more than four, and they start repeating themselves). But the bottom line of any spiritual practice is: how much of yourself are you willing to devote to it, and how fast do you want it?

Believe it or not, speed of acquisition is a major concern to many people. They want to be spiritual, and they want it Now! Not too long ago, I had an interesting conversation with a Reiki Master on a message board. She posted the great benefits of a Reiki attunement. I have practiced qi gong for around seven years now, and combine that energy work with what I learned about healing by studying a book about Therapeutic Touch and practicing the exercises. I was fairly amazed to learn that, as far as healing went, I could do everything the Reiki Master could do. The only difference was that she was given the healing ability quickly through attunements, and I took time to gain it through qi gong practice. I really was amazed, though. Never having had an attunement, I had long thought that I was missing out on some important facet of healing ability, only to find that was a misconception and not true at all.

In fact, it's interesting to note that originally Reiki had one level and one attunement, much like Tao was originally a simple and direct practice. Obviously, it's grown into something like the later Tao practices with their embellishments. (I am not disparaging Reiki in any way - it is a very valuable practice - I only wonder if its evolution is on the right path.)

A spiritual practice means connecting with the right energy whether you call it God, The Collective Unconscious, Universal Enlightenment, or any other name. "All paths lead up the same mountain," it is only the scenery along the way that is different. You are free to choose that scenery, and make it as fancy or as simple as you like. What practices would you like to undertake? If you love ceremony, go ahead and perform spiritual rituals; if not, spend your time meditating in a quiet way and place. The results will be the same. You may read a great book, or find a Master to mentor you - the results will be the same. You can travel around the world and pray in gilded shrines and temples, or go out into your back yard and pray under the open sky - the results will be the same. The amount of personal attention and time you devote to your practice is what matters, not the trappings.

I would like to add a few words on ceremonial items, though. We've all heard the fairy tales of the wicked witch casting an evil spell on someone when provided with a personal item from that person. I won't comment on evil spells or anything, but I do believe that items you use or wear during a spiritual practice do absorb and reflect back to you some of the energy generated during that practice - special clothing, prayer beads, a statue upon which you focus. I believe it is beneficial and enhancing to your spiritual energy if you have some sort of item - clothing, jewelry, whatever - to augment the energy generated during practice. It need not be anything fancy, but it should be the same item, and should be used at all times during prayer, meditation, or other energy work. I think you will like the results!

Everyday Tao: Living with Balance and Harmony

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Reincarnation - some thoughts

Thousand-petaled Lotus: symbol of reincarnation and immortality

You would think that, being a phoenix and all, I'd not only be on board with reincarnation, I'd be driving the wagon.

That has not been the case. I have been on the fence over this topic, leaning first one way and then the other, changing my mind pendulum-like from yes to no to maybe mostly because I could not reconcile my beliefs about the nature of the spirit with the beliefs familiarly held by most major spiritual teachings.

I have finally come to the conclusion that yes, I do believe in reincarnation – thought the details are subject to change without notice – but with a twist.

What settled the question for me was, not surprisingly, the yin/yang nature and behavior of spirit and energy.

Energy continuously cycles from the material to the immaterial to the material, et cetera and so on. That's the nature of spirit and energy. That's what it does…it cycles. If it didn't, breakfast wouldn't be the most important meal of the day, and a Three Musketeers bar wouldn't be a pick-me-up at 3:00 PM. If energy didn't cycle, you wouldn’t burn calories by running or swimming. You wouldn't ever be happy or sad, you would be emotionally numb.

If energy didn't cycle, you would never change at all…which would be a blessing for some people and a curse for others!

"The ancients' belief in reincarnation produced many cyclic images of existence..." – from "The Wheel" by Barbara J. Walter from The Women's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects

It was once believed that the Sun died every night as it was submerged into the ocean to be reborn the next day. Another image of cyclic existence is the moon that disappears roughly every 27 days to be reborn after three dark nights. Then there is the annual cycle of the leaves that fall from the trees in autumn and decompose to feed the roots, nourishing the next years' growth in spring, long considered the "season of rebirth."

You can't name one material thing that doesn't cycle back into immaterial energy because everything does, even if, like plastic trash bags, it takes tens of thousands of years, everything eventually cycles from the material to the immaterial, and then feeds, indeed nourishes the creation of the material.

The thing that we know now that we perhaps did not know before is that matter IS energy. Through our knowledge of the behavior of waves and particles, we can say that matter is just energy gone solid. Light and heat and other forms remain as energy in a not-solid state.

Your body is obviously energy gone solid. However, in every cell of your body, there is a spark of non-solid electrical, spirited energy. Your cells vibrate to a particular frequency, your brain operates on electrical impulses, your heart beats to the rhythm of an electrical discharge. When these electrical charges cease to operate, your body ceases to operate. The material portions of your body will decompose and become energy for some other form of matter.

However, the energy that mobilized your body, that formed your thoughts and held your memory, your spiritual energy, has not disappeared, just as the electricity that fuels your light bulbs doesn't disappear when you turn off the light. That energy still exists, it just no longer exists in the same place.

So, where does it go? Look around….it's everywhere…spiritual energy is everywhere. You continually breathe in spirit every minute of every day! (Latin inspire and expire derive from spirare which gives us the words for both breathe and spirit).

Some Daoists believe the body is born with ten souls or spirits, three from the heavens called hun that are nourished by breath energy, and seven called po that come from the earth and are nourished by food energy.

Human Lotus: symbol of one way to practice to achieve immortality.

It is your job in this lifetime to work with these souls on the energetic level (through tai chi, qigong, meditation, etc.) until you bring them into perfect balance and harmony at which time they merge into a single soul and you become an Immortal. Some beliefs about Immortals continue on to include physical immortality. In others, it is believed the physical body dies, but they are often regarded as "light" beings, consciousness of Self is retained; You would still be You with the same thoughts, ideas, and memories.

If your ten souls do not merge into a single soul during this lifetime, the ten souls return to their origins, the hun to the heavens and the po to the earth. They mix with other hun and po souls, and eventually inhabit a new body when the time is right. However, since they have scattered since their last incarnation, they do not return as a group. It is possible that some people who recall a past life are recalling the past experience of one (or several) of the past experiences of a hun or po soul.

Personally, I think it goes beyond even that. If thoughts are things, how much more then is your life energy?

With all the millions of cells in your body, all the millions of little life-giving charges released into the atmosphere when your body is finished with them, it is very likely that there are millions of bits of you floating around, each with some thought, idea, or memory that you held as an incarnate being. I don't believe that each bit of spiritual energy is a personality as such. However, each of those thoughts, ideas, and memories is something that was unique to you, a treasure that is no longer available to the material plane. They can no longer be used in a meaningful way because they need a physical plane on which to manifest.

However, here is an interesting thing: all those energetic spirits released at the demise of the body have known each other for a while, and have become quite familiar with each other. I believe it is very possible, likely even, that their energetic familiarity works just like a magnet; it attracts them to rejoin in their next physical body. In sufficient critical-mass numbers, enough to "remember" their chosen ideal, they may even do so for the purpose of continuing to complete some theory or idea they had begun to formulate in a previous existence.

The Egyptians believed that the three souls of a person stayed together only if the body had been preserved. The body acted as a magnet to attract the souls. The Ba roamed around as a human-headed bird, the Ka was tomb-bound and required food, drink, etc, the Akh journeyed to otherworld sometimes as a bird. However, if the body were allowed to decay, the souls would dissipate.

I think those little sparks of life energy don't hang around the old body all that long, they move on to combine in other ways with universal energy. Remember, this is what spirit and energy does; it's the nature of spirit and energy to cycle from immaterial to material. It doesn't want to hang around; it's ready to move on.

This is not to say that former human energy always returns to a human just as a plant does not always decompose to feed the next generation of flower, fruit, or vegetable. Some of your energy probably ends up somewhere else, and some of the spirit you enjoy in your body right now may have come from other planes, or even other galaxies.

I know that may sound a little far out, but consider: you look up into the night sky and see stars. That star light, that light energy, has traveled millions, perhaps billions of miles, but as soon as it touches your eye, you touch it, too, and you accept it into yourself and absorb it just as you take in air, sunlight, moonlight, and last night's salmon dinner, and that's a good thing!

You know how confined and depressed you feel if you are stuck in a rut in day-to-day living. Imagine how you would feel if you were stuck in a rut from lifetime to lifetime with the same thoughts, same ideas, same spirit for eternity! You need that cyclic, energetic exchange; you need, from lifetime to lifetime, to have an infusion of new energy to create new bonds with universal energies, to think up new ideas, to imagine new beginnings.

This is how we, as a species, are able to progress. This is what we do, we un-form and re-form energetically, spiritually, to share information and inspiration, and ultimately to enhance our bond with each other and the universe.