Winder, Wunder, Wander

In 1970 I purchased a copy of the Wilhelm/Baynes I Ching, The Book of Changes 易經. Wilhelm translated it from Chinese to German which Baynes translated to English. I Ching is one of the oldest books in continuous print and use int he world

Western knowledge, rooted in science is based on the notion that change naturally occurs through causal relationships and knowledge is knowing the processes. In China the notion was that change is the natural interaction of two opposite & basic forces of nature—Yin and Yang— and knowledge was understanding how they worked together.

The I Ching is a literal and visual oracle on how these natural changes affect you which uses lines representing yin or yang in groups of three lines; trigrams, and six lines; hexagrams. Yin, the female, is represented by a broken line and yang, the male represented by the solid line:

The introduction to this edition, written by Carl Jung, suggested that it did not matter whether some kind of supernatural knowing beyond human senses was responsible, when the person did the I Ching, they interacted with the words which stimulated mental responses resulting in a better understanding of the personal situation.

Using these two lines there are eight possible trigrams each with a name, an attribute, an image and a family relationship—The interrelationship, the movement or changes between these and the person are the subject in any specific oracle, Some lines may indicate movement.

In color they feel different . . .

You can arrage them differently. Because there is an even number of trigrams the middle divides it equally

Hexagram 56 : Lü, The Wanderer
The Judgement:
The Wanderer. Success through smallness,
Perserverance brings good fortune
To the Wanderer.

There is a dynamic relationship between the lines. Either solid or broken lines may be moving to be part of another hexagram (count from the bottom) and becoming its opposite.
Nine in the fourth place means:
The wanderer rests in a shelter.
He obtains his property and an ax.
My heart is not glad.

Eight trigrams two at a time will combine to make 64 different hexagrams. In this order many of them are next to their inverse. There are other ways to order the hexagrams.

Alameda Creek: Walking to Wonder

Is there something better to do than I am doing now? Everyday walking along the creek, passing the same landscapes, making another photograph. What are other people doing? Are they doing what I see them doing? Or something more interesting than I am doing?

. . . or are they doing something else? Are they doing something else whether I am there or not to make this image?

I imagine they are not thinking about their own problems but enjoying being with someone else.

Its less personal when I can imagine what’s in someone else’s thoughts mostly because I know I am wrong. The feeling of not being able to know someone else though is something different.

I never figured that one out, everyone is some different combination of some of the so many different combinations of the universe of things and its a combination which is constantly evolving.

Faith includes certitude about its own foundation—for example an event in history which has transformed history—for the faithful. But faith does not include historical knowledge about the way in which the event took place. Therefore, faith cannot be shaken by historical research even if its results are critical of the traditions in which the event is reported.
Paul Tillich Dynamics of Faith

Someone has left a wav
In front of the barn
It grabs hold of the cow.
Poor grandma has to dismount.
Her skirt catches on fire.
The wave goes to work
And soon puts it out.
Someone sure has used his bean!
Kenneth Patchen Wonderings

Sometimes I need a tripod, a larger format camera and a better lens, still:

I am a child
I last awhile . . .

. . . What is the color,
When black is burned?
Neil Young I am a Child

People come to the garden around the Sales Force building in San Francisco to enjoy the afternoon. With so much enjoyment I wonder why their stock does not pay a dividend.

In every science this rule must invariably hold good, that new combinations require new principles. Montesquieu tells us, “It is a fundamental law in Democracies, that the people should have the sole power to enact laws.” From this fundamental law, all his reasonings, all his inferences on the nature of this species of Government are drawn.
John Steven, Jr. Americanus Daily Advertisor, New York, December 5&6, 1787

Fire on the Mountain:
The image of THE WANDERER.
Thus the superior man
Is clear-minded and cautious
In imposing penalties,
And protracts no law suits.
The Image Hexagram 56 : Lü, The Wanderer

When we pass other people on the street we make judgements, they see us just like we see them. If we judge the person as a possible danger we will take appropriate action. Danger, its a question which once resolved and there is nothing else of interest we go back to whatever was bothering our minds before.

Six at the beginning means:
If the wanderer busies himself with trivial things,
He draws down misfortune upon himself.

So long as we are given up to the throng of desires and fears . . .
We never obtain lasting happiness or peace.”
Arthur Schopenhauer 1788-1860

In Buddhism, desire and ignorance lie at the root of suffering. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a result, desiring them can only bring suffering.

When the bow’s stiff, its string is first to snap;
The sharper a blade is, the easier to chip.
Trouble results from a talkative tongue,
Harmful deeds reflect a hardened heart.
Hānshān Déqīng  憨山德清) (1546–1623)

Lord Krishna painted by Kandra. See the flying birds and the guy inside the tree, Probably based on a story, but I do not know if its Rukmini, Rādhā, or one of the gopikas. Why is the rear end of a large animal sticking out? And why does Krishna have so may gopikas and I have none?

So, in emptiness, no form,
No feeling, thought, or choice,
Nor is there consciousness.
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;
No colour, sound, smell, taste, touch,
Or what the mind takes hold of,
Nor even act of sensing. . . .

Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha
Heart Sutra