29.1 and The Wisdom of No Escape

[ragini]

I happened to read a blog post which reviewed this book - The Wisdom of No Escape: And The Path of Loving-Kindness, By Pema Chodron, and immediately thought of 29.1.

What should we do when we are in an abyss and there seems no immediate way out? Cultivate the wisdom of no escape and the path of loving-kindness? Seems like very good advise to me.

I still haven't read this book, but it's next on my list

 

[sooo]

For me, escape from a pit is only sometimes the better course, but sometimes it is worthwhile to examine that pit, learn its nature. Is it my own fear and worry, or is it real danger? What can I learn from it? The relating hex is 60, which speaks of delineation and limitation; how deep is too deep, how deep is beneficial? After all, life is beset with dangers of all sorts; we can not simply run away or climb out of them all. What we can climb out of is our unreasonable fear of them, not going to extremes to avoid them. I watched a movie/documentary last night about a timid male who wanted to have more attributes of an alpha male (Kan represents that dangerous man, as second son). He was advised in a class, by a woman, interestingly, that to increase this manly aspect of his personality, he should seek out one danger or threat to him each and every day. 29 - repetition of danger, not simply a rare accidental happenstance, but a deliberate confrontation with his fears. "Water sets the example for the right conduct under such circumstances. It flows on and on, and merely fills up all the places through which it flows; it does not shrink from any dangerous spot nor from any plunge, and nothing can make it lose its own essential nature. It remains true to itself under all conditions." Wilhelm 29. It turned out that his own essential nature had strong feminine sensibilities, and he learned to accept that rather than to fear it.

 

[bradford]

The connection you've made a really good one for Kan in general.
Full commitment. Castaneda wrote:
"The warrior asks the question: if we're going to die with the totality of ourselves,
why not then live with that totality?"

 

[Olga Super Star]

I just happened to have this line and considering what is says

29.1
'Repeated chasm.
Entering into the pit within the chasm.
Pitfall.'

I thought I had better not embark on this project I asked about.

I found this by Hilary
Karcher's comment on that line reads 'by responding in the same way again and again, you get caught in a dead end'. Since this is a hexagram about repeated mishaps

which seems to confirm this feeling.

But in memorizing the i ching I found

29: HSI K'AN -

HSI : Practise, rehearse, train, coach; again and again; familiar with, skilled; repeat a lesson, drive, impulse. The ideogram portrays wings and a cap. It suggests thoughts carried forward by repeated movements...
K'AN : dangerous place; hole, cavity, hollow; pit, snare, trap, grave, precipice; critical time, test; risky. The ideogram: earth and pit"

Could that just refer to rehearsals?!?
cos I asked about what a particular play might bring to me.

What intrigues me in this play is that it would be in English with a British director + it would be Shakespeare (both new interesting things for me)

What makes me hesitate and what actually made me throw the coins is that it's NON PAID although it is held in a theatre + would involve several rehearsals for one or two months.

Anyway, thinking about it..

Six at the beginning means:
Repetition of the Abysmal.
In the abyss one falls into a pit.
Misfortune.

it doesn't sound that great
I don't think I need any more misfortune in my life

Unless some of you do come up with a super positive experience with 29.1, I shan't go!

 

[canislulu]

Olga, I am visiting this thread and wondering what happened with your 29.1 > 60 reading.

I am wondering if the "repeating chasm" relating to the project was the fact that you wouldn't be paid. Perhaps Yi was advising you to stop putting effort into work for which you would not be paid?

 

[Olga Super Star]

Hi Jumping Mouse

I didn't even go to the audition.
The reading didn't sound that thrilling nor the fact that it would be another free job.

I don't know about the repeating chasms.. but maybe the i ching would have encouraged it anyway, should this project lead to something valuable such as learning a lot or meeting interesting people..