I-Ching
Current
Changing
Transformed
Current
11 - T`ai / Peace
Above: K`UN THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH
Below: CH`IEN THE CREATIVE, HEAVEN
The Receptive, which moves downward, stands above. the Creative, which moves upward, is below. Thus, their influences meet and are in harmony, so that all living things bloom and prosper. This hexagram belongs to the first month (February-March), at which time the forces of nature prepare the new spring.
This hexagram denotes a time in nature when heaven seems to be on earth. Heaven has placed itself beneath the earth, and so their powers unite in deep harmony. Then peace and blessing descend upon all living things.
In the world of man it is a time of social harmony. Those in high places show favor to the lowly, and the lowly and inferior in their turn are well disposed toward the highly placed. There is an end to all feuds.
Inside, at the center, in the key position, is the light principle, and the dark principle is outside. Thus, the light has a powerful influence, while the dark is submissive. In this way each receives its due. When the good elements of society occupy a central position and are in control, the evil elements come under their influence and change for the better. When the spirit of heaven rules in man, his animal nature also comes under its influence and takes its appropriate place.
The individual lines enter the hexagram from below and leave it again at the top. Here the small, weak, and evil elements are about to take their departure, while the great, strong, and good elements are moving up. This brings good fortune and success.
Heaven and earth are in contact and combine their influences, producing a time of universal flowering and prosperity. This stream of energy must be regulated by the ruler of men. It is done by a process of division. Thus, men divide the uniform flow of time into the seasons, according to the succession of natural phenomena, and mark off infinite space by the points of the compass. In this way nature in its overwhelming profusion of phenomena is bounded and controlled. On the other hand, nature must be furthered in her productiveness. This is done by adjusting the products to the right time and the right place, which increases the natural yield. This controlling and furthering activity of man in his relation to nature is the work on nature that rewards him.
Above: K`UN THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH
Below: CH`IEN THE CREATIVE, HEAVEN
The Receptive, which moves downward, stands above. the Creative, which moves upward, is below. Thus, their influences meet and are in harmony, so that all living things bloom and prosper. This hexagram belongs to the first month (February-March), at which time the forces of nature prepare the new spring.
The Judgement
PEACE. The small departs, the great approaches. Good fortune. Success.This hexagram denotes a time in nature when heaven seems to be on earth. Heaven has placed itself beneath the earth, and so their powers unite in deep harmony. Then peace and blessing descend upon all living things.
In the world of man it is a time of social harmony. Those in high places show favor to the lowly, and the lowly and inferior in their turn are well disposed toward the highly placed. There is an end to all feuds.
Inside, at the center, in the key position, is the light principle, and the dark principle is outside. Thus, the light has a powerful influence, while the dark is submissive. In this way each receives its due. When the good elements of society occupy a central position and are in control, the evil elements come under their influence and change for the better. When the spirit of heaven rules in man, his animal nature also comes under its influence and takes its appropriate place.
The individual lines enter the hexagram from below and leave it again at the top. Here the small, weak, and evil elements are about to take their departure, while the great, strong, and good elements are moving up. This brings good fortune and success.
The Image
Heaven and earth unite: the image of PEACE. Thus, the ruler divides and completes the course of heaven and earth. He furthers and regulates the gifts of heaven and earth, and so aids the people.Heaven and earth are in contact and combine their influences, producing a time of universal flowering and prosperity. This stream of energy must be regulated by the ruler of men. It is done by a process of division. Thus, men divide the uniform flow of time into the seasons, according to the succession of natural phenomena, and mark off infinite space by the points of the compass. In this way nature in its overwhelming profusion of phenomena is bounded and controlled. On the other hand, nature must be furthered in her productiveness. This is done by adjusting the products to the right time and the right place, which increases the natural yield. This controlling and furthering activity of man in his relation to nature is the work on nature that rewards him.
Changing
Six at the beginning means:
Boy-like contemplation. For an inferior man, no blame. For a superior man, humiliation.
This means contemplation from a distance, without comprehension. A man of influence is at hand, but his influence is not understood by the common people. This matters little in the case of the masses, for they benefit by the actions of the ruling sage whether they understand them or not. But for a superior man it is a disgrace. He must not content himself with a shallow, thoughtless view of prevailing forces, but must contemplate them as a connected whole and try to understand them.
Boy-like contemplation. For an inferior man, no blame. For a superior man, humiliation.
This means contemplation from a distance, without comprehension. A man of influence is at hand, but his influence is not understood by the common people. This matters little in the case of the masses, for they benefit by the actions of the ruling sage whether they understand them or not. But for a superior man it is a disgrace. He must not content himself with a shallow, thoughtless view of prevailing forces, but must contemplate them as a connected whole and try to understand them.
Six in the second place means:
Contemplation through the crack of the door. Furthering with the perseverance of a woman.
Through the crack of the door one has a limited outlook. One looks outward from within. Contemplation is subjectively limited. One tends to relate everything to oneself and cannot put oneself in anothers place and understand his motives. This is appropriate for a good housewife. It is not necessary for her to be conversant with the affairs of the world. For a man who must take active part in public life, such a narrow, egotistic way of contemplating things is of course harmful.
Contemplation through the crack of the door. Furthering with the perseverance of a woman.
Through the crack of the door one has a limited outlook. One looks outward from within. Contemplation is subjectively limited. One tends to relate everything to oneself and cannot put oneself in anothers place and understand his motives. This is appropriate for a good housewife. It is not necessary for her to be conversant with the affairs of the world. For a man who must take active part in public life, such a narrow, egotistic way of contemplating things is of course harmful.
Six in the fourth place means:
Contemplation of the light of the kingdom. It furthers one to exert influence as the guest of a king.
This describes a man who understands the secrets by which a kingdom can be made to flourish. Such a man must be given an authoritative position, in which he can exert influence. He should be, so to speak, a guest; that is, he should be honored and allowed to act independently, and should not be used as a tool.
Contemplation of the light of the kingdom. It furthers one to exert influence as the guest of a king.
This describes a man who understands the secrets by which a kingdom can be made to flourish. Such a man must be given an authoritative position, in which he can exert influence. He should be, so to speak, a guest; that is, he should be honored and allowed to act independently, and should not be used as a tool.
Nine in the fifth place means:
Contemplation of my life. The superior man is without blame.
A man in an authoritative position to whom others look up must always be ready for self-examination. The right sort of self-examination, however, consists not in idle brooding over oneself but in examining the effects one produces. Only when these effects are good, and when ones influence on others is good, will the contemplation of ones own life bring the satisfaction of knowing oneself to be free of mistakes.
Contemplation of my life. The superior man is without blame.
A man in an authoritative position to whom others look up must always be ready for self-examination. The right sort of self-examination, however, consists not in idle brooding over oneself but in examining the effects one produces. Only when these effects are good, and when ones influence on others is good, will the contemplation of ones own life bring the satisfaction of knowing oneself to be free of mistakes.
Nine at the top means:
Contemplation of his life. The superior man is without blame.
While the preceding line represents a man who contemplates himself, here in the highest place everything that is personal, related to the ego, is excluded. The picture is that of a sage who stands outside the affairs of the world. Liberated from his ego, he contemplates the laws of life and so realizes that knowing how to become free of blame is the highest good.
Contemplation of his life. The superior man is without blame.
While the preceding line represents a man who contemplates himself, here in the highest place everything that is personal, related to the ego, is excluded. The picture is that of a sage who stands outside the affairs of the world. Liberated from his ego, he contemplates the laws of life and so realizes that knowing how to become free of blame is the highest good.
Transformed
20 - Kuan / Contemplation (View)
Above: SUN THE GENTLE, WIND
Below: K`UN THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH
A slight variation of tonal stress gives the Chinese name for this hexagram a double meaning. It means both contemplating and being seen, in the sense of being an example. These ideas are suggested by the fact that the hexagram can be understood as picturing a type of tower characteristic of ancient China. A tower of this kind commanded a wide view of the country, but at the same time, when situated on a mountain, it became a landmark that could be seen for miles around. Thus, the hexagram shows a ruler who contemplates the law of heaven above him and the ways of the people below, and who, by means of good government, sets a lofty example to the masses.
This hexagram is linked with the eight month (September-October). The light-giving power retreats and the dark power is again on the increase. However, this aspect is not material in the interpretation of the hexagram as a whole.
The sacrificial ritual in China began with an ablution and a libation by which the Deity was invoked, after which the sacrifice was offered. The moment of time between these two ceremonies is the most sacred of all, being the moment of deepest inner-concentration. If piety is sincere and expressive of real faith, the contemplation of it has a transforming and awe-inspiring effect on those who witness it.
Thus also in nature a holy seriousness is to be seen in the fact that natural occurrences are uniformly subject to law. Contemplation of the divine meaning underlying the workings of the universe gives to the man who is called upon to influence others the means of producing like effects. This requires that power of inner concentration which religious contemplation develops in great men strong in faith. It enables them to apprehend the mysterious and divine laws of life, and by means of the most profound inner-concentration they give expression to these laws in their own persons. Thus, a hidden spiritual power emanates from them, influencing and dominating others without their being aware of how it happens.
When the wind blows over the earth it goes far and wide, and the grass must bend to its power. These two occurrences find confirmation in the hexagram. The two images are used to symbolize a practice of the kings of old of making regular journeys to survey his realm. The ruler could, in the first place, survey his realm and make certain that none of the existing usages of the people escaped notice, and in the second, he could exert influence through which such customs that were unsuitable could be changed.
All of this points to the power possessed by a superior personality. On the one hand, such a man will have a view of the real sentiments of the great mass of humanity and therefore cannot be deceived. On the other, he will impress the people so profoundly, by his mere existence and by the impact of his personality, that they will be swayed by him as the grass by the wind.
Above: SUN THE GENTLE, WIND
Below: K`UN THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH
A slight variation of tonal stress gives the Chinese name for this hexagram a double meaning. It means both contemplating and being seen, in the sense of being an example. These ideas are suggested by the fact that the hexagram can be understood as picturing a type of tower characteristic of ancient China. A tower of this kind commanded a wide view of the country, but at the same time, when situated on a mountain, it became a landmark that could be seen for miles around. Thus, the hexagram shows a ruler who contemplates the law of heaven above him and the ways of the people below, and who, by means of good government, sets a lofty example to the masses.
This hexagram is linked with the eight month (September-October). The light-giving power retreats and the dark power is again on the increase. However, this aspect is not material in the interpretation of the hexagram as a whole.
The Judgement
CONTEMPLATION. The ablution has been made, but not yet the offering. Full of trust they look up to him.The sacrificial ritual in China began with an ablution and a libation by which the Deity was invoked, after which the sacrifice was offered. The moment of time between these two ceremonies is the most sacred of all, being the moment of deepest inner-concentration. If piety is sincere and expressive of real faith, the contemplation of it has a transforming and awe-inspiring effect on those who witness it.
Thus also in nature a holy seriousness is to be seen in the fact that natural occurrences are uniformly subject to law. Contemplation of the divine meaning underlying the workings of the universe gives to the man who is called upon to influence others the means of producing like effects. This requires that power of inner concentration which religious contemplation develops in great men strong in faith. It enables them to apprehend the mysterious and divine laws of life, and by means of the most profound inner-concentration they give expression to these laws in their own persons. Thus, a hidden spiritual power emanates from them, influencing and dominating others without their being aware of how it happens.
The Image
The wind blows over the earth: The image of CONTEMPLATION. Thus, the kings of old visited the regions of the world, and contemplated upon the people, and gave them instruction.When the wind blows over the earth it goes far and wide, and the grass must bend to its power. These two occurrences find confirmation in the hexagram. The two images are used to symbolize a practice of the kings of old of making regular journeys to survey his realm. The ruler could, in the first place, survey his realm and make certain that none of the existing usages of the people escaped notice, and in the second, he could exert influence through which such customs that were unsuitable could be changed.
All of this points to the power possessed by a superior personality. On the one hand, such a man will have a view of the real sentiments of the great mass of humanity and therefore cannot be deceived. On the other, he will impress the people so profoundly, by his mere existence and by the impact of his personality, that they will be swayed by him as the grass by the wind.