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Hexagram 57
The Page of Sun, the Eldest Daughter
The Raven as the Creation Myth
The Haida Indians of the Queen Charlotte Islands of the Pacific Northwest, have a legend that after the Great Flood, a curious raven heard squeaky sounds coming from a clam. The raven cajoled the little creatures out of the clam shell and to his surprise the little creatures were two-legged; the first humans. Note small humans in the clam shell above.
In the Yen ben Zhi, it is written that the mother of Xieh, the founder of Shang was impregnated by a Black Bird of Xia: "Three persons including Jian Di went to take a bath. They saw that a black bird dropped an egg. Jian Di took and devoured it, became impregnated and gave birth to Xieh. Xieh grew up, assisted Yu in his work to control the flood with success".
According to the Shang poem Xuan Niao:
"Heaven bade the dark bird to come down and bear the Shang."
Chinese Kite, Han Dynasty
The Eldest Daughter, Sun, penetrates to the
very depths of consciousness in order
to awaken the good that is hidden.
She has the power of truth.
To the Wanderer and for people in the
middle of projects, she represents a
Favorable Wind
The Story of Sun Pu-erh and the Greater Vehicle
Sun Pu-erh was the wife of a wealthy merchant and was one of the Seven Taoist Immortals who started on the path to immortality by being the student of Wang Ch-ung yang. Master Wang was one of the lineage holders of the Complete Reality School of Taoism. Sun Pu-erh was known as lively intellectual of great beauty. These qualities, however, became barriers to her deeper understanding of the Tao. Her intellect, used badly, made her unreceptive to the ideas being presented by Master Wang. After realizing this, she vowed to become humble and receptive, treasuring the lessons given to her by this great master. She had learned a most important lesson signified by Hexagram 61, Inner Truth, which teaches that the heart that is open attracts the truth to itself. As her heart opened she began to rapidly absorb the teachings of Master Wang.
The Three Vehicles of the Taoist Path
Master Wang eventually instructed her in the three vehicles of the Taoist path:
"The Great Vehicle", he said, is the fastest and most direct path to Immortality. The followers of The Great Vehicle are not attached to life and death. Using the secret methods of internal alchemy, they return to the Void and merge with Tao. This is the Great Vehicle."
" 
The Middle Vehicle," he went on to say," represents those who observe the rites and chant the names of the deities, especially Guan Yin. They purify their hearts and constantly practice compassion for others and let their original mind of Tao shine forth. The use the secrets of compassionate practice to untie the sealed knots of the heart chakra and become enlightened beings capable of great magical deeds. The Immortals are known to them."
"The Lower Vehicle," he said, are those who do good deeds, take care of their families and are content with themselves. They lead long and healthy lives. They may achieve worldly fame and hold high position or they may merchant or even the humblest people."
The Courage of Sun Pu-erh
Then the master asked Sun Pu-erh "Which path is yours?" Without hesitation Sun Pu-erh said, "The Greater Vehicle." "Then," Master Wang said, "you must travel to Loyang which is more than 1,000 miles away where you will meet an Immortal and learn the ultimate secrets of the universe." "Are you willing to go?, " he asked. Sun Pu-erh, knowing that she must renounce all her riches and her happy family life in order to do this, said "Nothing in the world is more important to me than this undertaking." Master Wang, who could see into the future, thought a moment and said, "The trip is dangerous. Your great beauty will hinder you. You will become the target of vile and evil men who would use your beauty. Rather than submit to this treatment, you will kill yourself. It will have a tragic end. I am very sorry. You cannot make this journey."
Sun Pu-erh returned home with a very sad heart. She had overcome the defect of a closed mind but what could she do about her beauty? With great courage she filled a wok with hot oil and then threw in water. The oil flew up in her face and burned her very badly. Her great beauty, which had given her so pleasure in life, was now irrevocably destroyed.
She returned to Master Wang later, no longer a beauty, but now with a face that was scarred and ugly. Master Wang was astonished and then greatly moved by her actions and he said slowly "I did not travel this long way in vain. I have found the student that shall go to Loyang." Immediately Master Wang began teaching her the secret formulas of internal alchemy which she studied and mastered under his tutelage.
Sun Pu-erh Pretends Madness
But Sun Pu-erh still found it difficult to leave her husband and family whom she loved and cherished. She felt burdened by their love and had no desire to hurt them. She did not tell them of her aspirations for she felt that they would not understand. Finally, Sun Pu-erh could think of no way to leave but to pretend to be mad. She began to wear strange clothing and did not brush her hair, letting it remain wild and bushy. She became demented and strange. She was often so boisterous and intractable that even her family began to avoid her.
Sun Pu-erh Goes to Loyang
Even so, as Sun Pu-erh began to leave the mansion, a servant intervened to stop her. She bit the servant and laughed wildly and hurriedly escaped from her home and the family that she loved. Once she was on the road there was no turning back. Her family looked for her for many years but it was all in vain. On the road she remained hidden in the disguise of a wild, crazy person with a deeply scarred face. In this way, she was left alone and remained unharmed on the long journey. After an arduous, long journey Sun Pu-erh arrived at Loyang and found the Immortal who was waiting for her. According to legend, when she achieve immortality, Sun Pu-erh ascended to the sky in her physical body in broad daylight.
Recommended Reading
This and other ascensions to heaven are discussed by Michael Saso, a modern religious Taoist, in The Golden Pavilion: Taoist Ways to Peace, Healing and Long Life.
In a person it represents:
A person of great determination
A thinker or meditator
A woman in business
A traveler or wanderer
A sailor who loves the sea
A person with a good conscience
A person with hand outstretched
A person holding a rope
A person with vehemence
By Occupation:
A teacher or guide
A psychotherapist
A person in the communications industry
A person in the building industry
A person in the shipping industry
Possessions:
Blower
Vacuum Cleaner
Fans for ladies
Electric fans
Ropes, especially for sailing
Kites
In politics:
She represents taking power as in a coup d'etat.
In the long term, she represents the conscience
of those who would have power.
Crossing Lake Biwa
Riding rain, astride rain, my plain robe light,
for ten ri, the boat carries me across.
Hoisting sail, one knows how strong the wind,
The current tries both stem and stern.
Above the lake, in all directions, phantom paths.
A monk on a reed boat? And this not Futsu?
Ridiculous! Where is my Buddha-mind?
Geppa, b. 1664
Note: FuTzu is a reference to Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma Blends Taoism with Buddhism
Bodhidharma, the blue-eyed monk, lived in China c. 515 AD. Originally he came from India as a Buddhist missionary. He challenged his Chinese followers to leave behind the narrow secretarian dogmas, the ponderous scriptures, and privileged hierarchies of organized religion. He founded the school of Chan Buddhism which mostly which was especially popular during the Southern Sung Dynasty
(1127-1279 AD). Zen continued into the Ming Dynasty (c.1368-1643 AD) when it began to lose popularity in favor of the "Pure Land" Sects.
He was called "the wall gazer" for his long sitting and rigorous meditation practices (zazen). He preached for a return to "The Way," the fundamental mystical axis around which Chinese thought revolves. According to legend, Bodhidharma later sailed in a tiny reed boat bringing the dharma to Japan. Thereafter, Chan Buddhism found a home in Japanese thought as Zen. Japan had already been profoundly affected by Buddhist teachings that arrived in Japan from China (c. 700 AD). However, Chan Buddhism or Zen found a true home in Japanese thought. Zen, with its sparsity and aesthetic simplicity, focused on nature in order to bring forth the shining mind of Tao. In Zen, progress along the path to enlightenment by the student-disciple was gauged by his mastery of the Zen Arts: Poetry, painting, calligraphy, the Zen garden, to name a few.
The Way of the Zen Garden
Monastic Zen gardens, faithfully attended by generations of monks, were masterpieces of the fusion of nature, Japanese aesthetics, and Buddhist concepts of emptiness. Every Zen monastery is surrounded by and part of such a garden . The garden symbolizes the mastery of things that are best not put into words: Emptiness, no-self, spontaneity, beauty, and harmony with the cardinal directions, seamlessly interfaced with the natural elements of the land sculpted by wind and rain. It the most ancient of Zen gardens, the space that was to be their sacred garden was left to the elements for a hundred years or more to allow the pattern of Tao to carve itself into the land, the rocks, trees, and stones. The sacred Zen garden rose to a peak of perfection that by itself it has explained these subtle and profound Buddhist concepts. When you look at a Zen garden think: Emptiness, no-self, spontaneity, beauty, harmony with the cardinal directions.
The Way of the Poet: Basho
To download falling cherry blossoms, click on the cherry blossoms, below:
In his birthplace in the city of Ueno (c. 1690 AD) when the cherry trees were nearly in full blossom, one can imagine, Basho, the haiku master sitting quietly reading the words of the Chinese philosopher, Chaung Tzu, a book he said he was never without. Throughout his life's journey, Basho embodied the Taoist ideals of spontaneity and immediacy of experience expressed through the medium of poetry. Basho, a devout Buddhist, sought always to be at one with nature and the four seasons, each poem expressing a sudden vivid awareness that comes from this harmony with Tao.
Early Zen poets of Japan, such as Basho, wrote their poems in the Chinese language because they felt that Chinese expressed greater nuance and meaning so necessary in this subtle art form. Later, he was able to express his "heart-mind" through his native Japanese tongue.
Much of his life this great poet traveled as a simple monk teaching haiku to support himself. He said of his wandering:
The moon and sun are eternal travelers. Even the years
wander on. A lifetime adrift in a boat or in old age leading
a tired horse into the years, every day is a journey, and the
journey itself is home.
He lamented once that the road was a tough place for the empty-handed wanderer but he was anything but empty-handed; his legacy is some of the most revered poetry in the world.
All along this road
not a single soul - only
autumn evening
Whenever winds blow
the butterfly finds a new place
on the willow tree
In the season's rain
the crane's long legs
have suddenly shortened
To blossoming cherries,
we recite Buddha's blessings
most gratefully
Don't Cling; Don't Seek
Another famous teaching of Boddhidharma was "Don't cling; don't' seek." The idea is that the more one consciously attempts to find Tao, it is ever more elusive.
The perfect Tao is without difficulty,
Save that it avoids picking and choosing.
Follow your nature and be in accord with Tao;
Don't be antagonistic to the world of the senses.
When you are not antagonistic to it,
It turns out to be the same as complete Awakening.
The wise person does not strive (wu wei).
If you work on your mind with your mind,
How can you avoid an immense confusion?
Zen has always emphasized sudden enlightenment or satori. He was famous for teaching that the true teachings of Buddha were beyond words, thoughts, and expressions. Impatient with self-serving piety he said: "If you see the Buddha on the road, kill him." He taught that all aspects of life were sacred and each moment of time a luminous moment of perfection.
"How wondrous, how mysterious!
I carry fuel, I draw water!"
Based on the writings of Zen monk and
author, Peter Matthiessen
