7th 8 Recap

I Ching explorations - Interlude 2

Not that it’s possible or proper to do so, but if one sought to compress these eight hexagrams into 4 pairs of phrases as an aid to remembering, one might consider something such as these:

In 49, Revolution leads us in a clearly different way,

while The Caldron nourishes the cultural soul in 50.

In 51, The Arousing leaves giddy awe in its wake,

            while the tranquil soul observes from the mountaintop while Keeping Still in 52.

In 53, despite Gradual Progress one may be ineffective unless parties reconcile, as shown by

The Marrying Maiden free of vanity who adapts to the situation in 54.

In 55, a modest leader achieves Abundance by remaining open to the counsel of able helpers,

            while a steadfast and humble Wanderer finds friends and activity in 56.

Or, perhaps even more rarified, one might consider that:

• Violent revolution is balanced by cultural evolution;
• Terror and frenzy are balanced by tranquil meditation;
• Steady development of a relationship is balanced by spontaneous affection; and
• Times of abundance are balanced by times of wandering.

And symbolically of course, we have:

REVOLUTION becomes THE CALDRON

 

THE AROUSING becomes KEEPING STILL

 

GRADUAL PROGRESS becomes THE MARRYING MAIDEN

 

ABUNDANCE becomes THE WANDERER

 

Peace!

49 - Ko (Revolution) and 50 - Ting (Caldron)

I Ching explorations, Parts 49 and 50 of 64

#49 Ko / Revolution - Lake over Fire 

Student:  Lake over fire makes me think of #63, Before Completion which also consists of water over fire.  In that hexagram we talked about how the two elements remained in balance as long as the fire didn’t boil the water away.  How does Lake over Fire differ?

Professor:  In this case, the water boils over and evaporates!

A reason for the difference can be found in the familial relationships represented by the eight primary trigrams.  Let’s take a quick look:

1. Ch’ien:  Heaven - Father
2. Tui:  Lake – Youngest Daughter
3. Li:  Fire – Middle Daughter
4. Chên:  Thunder – Eldest Son
5. K’un:  Earth - Mother
6. Kên:  Mountain – Youngest Son
7. K’an:  Water – Middle Son
8. Sun:  Wind/Wood – Eldest Daughter

 So while Water and Lake are elementally the same, their symbolism is very different.  Water corresponds to the middle son while Lake is the youngest daughter.  Additional attributes of Water are The Abysmal and “danger” while Lake is The Joyous and “pleasure.”

Then too – while the elemental relationships may be the same, the nuclear trigrams that are within hexagrams #49 and #63 are very different.  #49 contains Ch’ien (Heaven) and Sun (Wind/Wood) while #63 contains Li (Fire) and K’an (Water).  Finally, a lake occupies a limited space as we discussed in #60 (Chieh/Limitation) while water in its various forms is effectively boundless.

Let’s return to this hexagram with its finite body of water over a fire - the Joyous over the Clinging - and perhaps most importantly, the youngest daughter above the middle daughter.

S:  Why is that important?

P:  Because the younger daughter is in a superior position to her older sister which in ancient China, and even today, is a recipe for disaster.  Confucius’ Commentary reads,

“Abolishing the Old,

Water and Fire destroy each other.

Two daughters live together,

But their minds are not in chorus.

This is called revolution.”

The image of two elemental forces – lake (water) and fire in opposition to one another as personified by two sibling girls with an opposition of tendencies, suggests upheaval, the stripping away of a protective covering, of molting, and revolutionary change.

As molting follows fixed temporal laws and must be prepared for in advance, the same is true for revolutionary societal change – the I Ching advises that it must proceed in accord with the proper preparation and timing.  The Wilhelm/Baynes translation contains the following assessment of the laws dictating the formation of political revolutions:

• First, timing is essential.
• Second, one must proceed with the sympathy of the people and avoidance of excess.
• Third, one must be free of selfish motives.
• Fourth, the change must respond to a true need.

S:  And there is a parallel between the elemental battle of these two sisters, Lake and Fire, and the annual battle between the forces of light and dark that produce the seasons.

P:  Right, and by marking the regular progression of the seasons we make sense of these changes and can anticipate the changes that are appropriate to the changing times.  The individual lines of the hexagram continue the timing theme by describing different times in the development of a revolution.  From the bottom up they are:

1. It is not time yet – take no action.
2. The time is right if the way has been carefully prepared and leadership is accepted by the people
3. It is time, but be neither haste nor hesitant – when talk of change has been heard three times and considered well, proceed.
4. Change occurs but the new must be founded on correctness of purpose, sincerity, and truth.
5. A leader of great change gains the support of many
6. Large-scale reform has been achieved but don’t expect everyone to be uniformly changed – molting is only skin deep.  Be satisfied with the attainable.

S:  As I understand it then, this hexagram offers four tips for political revolutions and the potential for six pieces of oracular advice to help one determine the temporal context of events.

P:  Yes, but keep in mind that Ko corresponds to the conflict and struggle that occur when old layers of society are stripped away like a molting skin to reveal a new and improved version.  In contrast, #50 – Caldron deals with the cultivation of civilization through physical and spiritual nourishment of society.

#50 Ting / Caldron – Fire over Wood

S:  Where does the idea of a caldron come from the relationship of fire over wood?

P:  According to the I Ching, the arrangement of lines depicts a caldron with the legs at the bottom, the belly formed by three solid lines, the handles or opening at the 5^th line and the carrying handle or lid on top (squint your eyes and use your imagination).  Figuratively, the idea of wood (or wind) nourishing a fire leads to the idea of cooking and nourishment in general.  It’s not so much about the object itself as it is about the sustenance a caldron represents.

 S:  I see that the middle daughter (Li) is back in this hexagram although this time she’s in the superior position to the eldest daughter (Sun).  Despite the younger of the two being again in a superior position, this time they work together – why is that?

P:  Perhaps it’s the clarity of mind reflected in Li (Fire) or the gentleness and adaptability of the eldest sister reflected in Sun (Wind/Wood).

S:  So while the youngest and middle sisters created a violent revolution that tore down the old in #49, here the middle sister works constructively with her elder sister to nourish.  While Ko talked of violent uprising causing change from the ground up, Ting speaks of social reorganization and change from the top down.  While in Ko, the trigrams were opposed, here they are mutually reinforcing.

P:  That’s correct.  Ting speaks to the nourishment of a civilization’s spark or spirit and the highest earthly values that find consecration in sacred festivities, often using an ornate caldron to serve the ceremonial banquet.  By honoring wise and virtuous members of the community with the ceremonial ting, we endear ourselves to them and they in turn further the cultural development of the community.  Ting indicates that through proper relationships and attitudes, we can establish a new and better order following the overthrow of the old.  The lines further illustrate this:

1.      No matter how lowly, a person of good will can succeed in a developed civilization

2.      If one concentrates on achieving something significant, the envious can inflict less harm

3.      One’s contributions are not recognized – be patient and focus on spiritual development

4.      Weak character in an honored place; meager knowledge but large plans; limited power with huge responsibility – all recipes for disaster

5.      A humble leader attracts helpers

6.      The sage imparts his teachings.

S:  It seems then that collectively, Ting offers a path for the spiritual nourishment of a civilization as the desired sequel to a violent upheaval.  Individually though, it seems that much depends on “assigning the right place to life and to fate, thus bringing the two into harmony” (W/B).

P:  According to the I Ching, as the wood sustains the fire, so too positions of virtue and leadership in the community nurture a whole community and in turn, deserve to be honored, respected, and supported. 

51 - Chên and 52 - Kên

I Ching explorations – Parts 51 and 52 of 64

51 (Chên) and 52 (Kên) are two inverse hexagrams each formed from the doubling of a trigram.  51 is The Arousing (Double Thunder) while 52 is Keeping Still (Double  Mountain).

 

51 “thunder repeated,” denotes initial fear and trembling followed by action.  The Arousing is movement - the action that is triggered by the shock of a terrifying event.

The I Ching advises that when we understand fear we are protected from the terrors produced by outside influences.  Ideally, if we have been shocked and frightened before, then future disruptions won’t disturb us even if we’re engaged in meditation.  When extreme events occur, the chün tzu (“superior person”) is able to maintain composure and attention without being distracted.

Fear caused by an elemental force on Nature such as the BOOM of thunder helps us to appreciate how small we are in the grand scheme of things.  The I Ching considers that reverence and respect for elemental forces of Nature to be a foundation of culture.

The actions, whether physical or mental, that follow after one’s initial shock passes are discussed in the individual lines.

1 – When the initial shock is over there is relief and lessons to be learned

2 – Accept your loss and retreat, in time possessions will be restored

3 – If shock induces thought, external blows will be overcome with little effort

4 – One is stuck in the mud, neither combative nor yielding, movement is hindered

5 – When repeated shocks occur, stay calm in the center to avoid being tossed about

6 – When shock is everywhere, keep still until clarity is restored

The individual lines offer little in the way of constructive advice on appropriate actions when one is faced with intense alarm.  To the extent we are able to learn from the shocks we experience throughout our lives, we are better able to react the next time – assuming we can recall the lessons.  Unfortunately, when terror strikes, most of us will get caught up in the frenzy of the situation and be unable to think clearly.  We are counseled that if clear thought is lost, it is best to wait for the storm to pass when we can see clearly again.

When we hear of martial arts masters faced with daunting odds, we don’t believe that they are able to think through the best course of action as the situation changes from moment to moment.  As with training for other athletic endeavors, we recognize that muscle memory and instinct take over for those who have devoted sufficient study to their respective skills.  As with spiritual training too then, I would suggest that the chün tzu who has trained to remain unperturbed in the face of extreme hardships will indeed remain calm and level-headed in extreme situations.  That person will recognize the situation for what it is and act accordingly, or go on blissfully meditating while chaos whirls about.  On the one hand, the response is action – the other valid course is the inverse:  inaction or keeping still.

#52 – Kên / Keeping Still – Mountain

52 is Keeping Still (Double Mountain). Starting with the trigram Earth (three yin lines), a solid (yang) line enters at the bottom to form Thunder – its attribute is “taking action.”  When the solid line progresses one more position to the center we get Water – its attribute is flowing (continuous action).  When the solid line reached the top, it becomes Mountain – its attribute is “keeping still.”  The flow of action stops and we wait for the cycle to repeat.

Seated in meditation, one’s body reflects the shape of a mountain.  Holding the back still, one quiets the ego and with it the restless mind.  The still body and mind promote introspection.  Introspection helps one to objectively evaluate one’s weaknesses and to cultivate inner strength and virtue.  With greater virtue one has the potential to see beyond the struggles of individuals to better understand the laws of the universe and how to act in harmony with them.  Whoever acts from these deep levels is a chün tzu.

While Keeping Still is the meaning of the hexagram, movement is the meaning of both nuclear trigrams (Chên – thunder and K’an - water).  As such, “movement and stopping, each at the right time, are both features of rest” one would not exist without the other.  They are inverse and complementary, but the key to success is to know when to advance and when to stop as every action (and non-action) should be in accordance with the time and situation. 

The individual lines (from the bottom) correspond to different parts of the body to depict different times and situations.

1 – toes:  knowing when to stop before going too far

2 – calves:  unable to save others from wrongdoing, she follows along

3 – hips:  Let calmness develop naturally from inner composure

4 – torso:  One has achieved a quiet heart and has almost forgotten the ego

5 – jaws:  Being reserved in speech, one’s words acquire more definite form

6 – mind:  One is at tranquil rest which confers peace and good fortune to matters

Quoting Confucius from “The Great Learning,”

            The way of the Great Learning is to illustrate brilliant virtue, to love people, and to rest in conduct that is perfectly good.

            By knowing how to keep still, one is able to determine what objects he should pursue.

            By knowing what objects he should pursue, one is able to attain calmness of mind.

            By knowing how to attain calmness of mind, one is able to succeed in tranquil repose.

            By knowing how to succeed in tranquil repose, one is able to obtain careful deliberation.

            By knowing how to obtain careful deliberation, one is able to harvest what he really wants to pursue.

Inherent to all stillness is action.

Each behavior has its proper time and place.

Action must eventually return to stillness.

Stillness and action nourish and sustain one another.

Before action - careful deliberation in stillness.

Before stillness - calmness of mind in action.

53 – Chien (Jian) / Development (Gradual Progress) and #54 Kuei Mei (Gui Mei) / The Marrying Maiden

I Ching explorations - Parts 53 and 54 of 64

53 – Chien (Jian) / Development (Gradual Progress)

#53, Chien (Jian) is formed by The Gentle (Wind/Wood) above and Keeping Still (Mountain) below.  The outer expression is one of persistent and penetrating perseverance as demonstrated by a tree while the inner expression is one of calm, steadfast, and patient tranquility exemplified by the mountain.  The image of an ancient tree standing firmly rooted on a mountaintop captures the patience, determination, and tranquility embodied by this hexagram.

Gradual progression can be tedious.  It takes fortitude and determination to keep chipping away, bit by bit over a long period of time.  As Wilhelm translates, “perseverance alone prevents slow progress from dwindling to nothing.”  This hexagram is all about pacing oneself and not being too hasty.  Rather, the I Ching advises that one can exert inexorable influence through the ongoing cultivation of one’s own personality – “no influence such as that exerted by agitators has a lasting effect.” (W/B)  One is advised not to rush headlong in an attempt to change things.  Rather, at this time the proper course of action is to be patient and to go slowly.

The tree slowly grows and gradually changes its environment while it changes in turn.  It provides shelter to creatures and other plants and demonstrates to those wise enough to see, how to gradually have a positive influence through steadfast cultivation of one’s inner dynamics.  Those inner dynamics, here expressed by the polar opposite nuclear trigrams Li (Fire) and Kan (Water), must be carefully managed to prevent their energies from diverging as they are in contrary positions with water being below fire.  As was noted in the discussion of #64 (see July 4, 2012), these forces must be brought into proper configuration for them to be constructive.

“One must put them into their proper places as carefully as one handles fire and water, so that they do not combat one another." (W/B)

In the lives of men and women, the development of a lasting and stable relationship also succeeds through perseverance.  Ideally, we practice the difficult task of communicating and understanding one another while inwardly maintaining an attitude of calmness, patience, and tranquility.  If we allow the nuclear trigram Fire to enflame us too intensely or Water to chill us too frigidly, the inner balance will be offset and the situation can become untenable.  Relationship-building is a long-term endeavor and one can have a lasting influence over others, as the bristlecone does on its immediate surroundings, through gradual inner development.

#54 Kuei Mei (Gui Mei)  / The Marrying Maiden

#54 is one of the four hexagrams in the I Ching that depict relationships between a man and a woman.  #54 - Kuei Mei is the opposite of #53 -  Chien.  As such, one might expect it to mean “rapid decline,” but instead, the Marrying Maiden (Thunder over Lake) represents the delicate balance that must be achieved for interpersonal relationships to be successful.

Just as thunder can stir the waters of a lake, relationships between two people can be made to quiver with misunderstandings and disagreements if the internal dynamics are out of sync.  The nuclear trigrams, Water and Fire, are opposites here as they were in #53, but this time they are in the proper orientation to one another to produce sustaining harmony with fire flowing upward toward water the flows downward.  When in harmony, these two forces have the potential to create greatness, as was noted in the discussion of #63 (see July 12, 2012).

The I Ching advised that the relationship described by this hexagram can be used to describe how all voluntary relationships depend in the long run on mutual love and affection:  whether the relationship is between husband and wife, king and minister, or boss and employee.  Ok, we all know love and affection are unrealistic in some cases – for instance employee and boss, but respect and hopefully admiration would be steps in the right direction.

Outward enthusiasm, movement, and energy (Thunder) combined with inner joy (Lake) can produce attitudes that are conducive to a mutually-beneficial union between any two parties.  Think cool heads (nuclear trigram Water) and passionate hearts (nuclear trigram Fire) rather than hot heads and cold hearts.

This danger of potential misunderstandings is inherent in all relationships between individuals.  Therefore, the I Ching counsels that it is important to “remain mindful of the end.” (W/B).

            If we permit ourselves to drift along, we come together and are parted again as the day may determine.  If on the other hand a man fixes his mind on an end that endures, he will succeed in avoiding the reefs that confront the closer relationships of people.

If we approach relationships with the objective being to achieve enduring harmony and mutual benefit built on love and affection or at least respect, we are bound to be more successful than if we enter relationships with the motive being to achieve personal and selfish gains.

 

55: Fȇng – Abundance (Fullness) & 56: Lü – The Wanderer (Traveling)

I Ching explorations - Parts 55 and 56 of 64

Professor:  For this next group of eight hexagrams:  49/50, 51/52, 53/54, and 55/56 we’ll consider how each in the pair is related to the other.  Insomuch as the sequence of 64 hexagrams incorporates the transformation of one hexagram to its pair, it seems appropriate that we should explore them as pairs.

Fȇng (55), Abundance, is derived from the trigrams Thunder (above) and Fire (below).  

Lü (56), The Wanderer, is the inverse of Fȇng:  Fire has been moved to the top in Lü and Thunder above in Fȇng has been inverted to form Mountain below in Lü.

Student:  By “inverse,” does that mean that these hexagrams are opposites?

P:  No.  In opposite hexagrams, all the lines of one are transformed from yin to yang or vice versa to form the other.  As such, the opposite of Fȇng is #59 (Huan/Dispersion) and the opposite of Lü is #60 (Chieh/Limitation).  Opposite hexagrams do have opposite meanings – abundance versus dispersion and wandering versus being limited.

S:  It follows then that hexagrams formed as opposites of one pair are also related to each other as inversions.

P:  That’s right.  Through the inversion from Fȇng to Lü, the trigram Fire moves from the bottom position (representing the inner aspect of the situation - personality and attitude) to the top (representing the outer aspect - behavior and actions).  So, the characteristics of fire (e.g., clinging or dependence – as a fire clings to the object that is burning; brightness; dryness; clarity; and upward movement) are present in each hexagram because it retains its identity when inverted, but its influence changes due to its position.  But, when it comes to the other trigrams, not only do they change position, but when inverted, their natures transform. 

S:  Geez, I’m embarrassed, but it just hit me why it’s called the Book of Changes.

P:  Aha!  A eureka moment for you - congratulations!  Although I suspect that you understood this transformative relationship between the trigrams and hexagrams at some level, perhaps you just never saw it from this perspective.  After all, we’ve been talking about the dynamic process of change embodied by this system since we started on this topic.  Still, I’m happy that you’ve made a literal connection with the trigrams and their interrelationships with the hexagrams.  Now let’s take a closer look at these two hexagrams.

Notice that the two nuclear trigrams (those embedded within the hexagrams in positions 5-4-3 and 4-3-2 counting from the bottom) are identical in each:  Tui (The Joyous - Lake) and Sun (The Penetrating - Wind/Wood).

S:  Fȇng then consists of Thunder, Fire, Water, and Wind – all active forces of nature that can combine to create great power.  While Lü consists of Fire, Water, and Wind too, but the arousing and active force of Thunder has been replaced by the quiet and still presence of the Mountain. 

P:  Right.  In Fȇng, Thunder is in outer position suggesting overt energetic action while in Lü, Fire is in the outer position suggesting change and spreading radiance.

And, in Fȇng, Fire is in inner position suggesting clarity of vision and inner brightness while in Lü, Mountain is in the internal position suggesting inner calm, humility, and stability.  These are just some of the changes that occur when hexagrams are transformed.

S:  What do we get when we put it all together and how do these two hexagrams relate to one another?

P:  Alright, let’s see.  #55, Fȇng – Abundance, represents a time in the development of a civilization when a peak has been reached.  Clarity of vision combined with greatness of deeds has thrust upon the scene a fullness of achievement.  But, that period of abundance cannot be sustained indefinitely.  Like the sun at noon, the greatness of the moment shines on all only briefly.  And, like the sun at noon, the time of greatness is followed by a decrease and eventual emptiness.  Excessive abundance exceeds its limits.

            “There is only one means of making foundations firm in times of greatness, namely, spiritual expansion.  Every sort of limitation brings a bitter retribution in its train.  Abundance can endure only if ever larger groups are brought to share in it, for only then can the movement continue without turning into its opposite.” (W/B)

S:  Which in this case would be dispersion and scattering of these accomplishments as we discussed in #59.

P:  That’s correct.  And while W/B has translated it as “spiritual expansion” AH suggests that the sharing of abundance itself by magnanimous and humble leaders is what causes brilliance to accumulate as a means to slow the eventual and inevitable decline into darkness.

S:  What about #56?

P:  #56, Lü – The Wanderer (Traveling) represents flames blown by the wind across a mountaintop.  The wanderer is a stranger in a foreign land and does not linger but journeys onward.  A humble attitude is advantageous as one travels so as not to provoke misfortune.

S:  In this case then, Fire represents an outward actions that is tempered by the inner calmness of the mountain compared to #55 where the attribute of fire is an inner clarity that combines with external energy to achieve greatness.

P:  And since times of abundance cannot last forever, upon their decline it is wise to move on and start a new cycle like a wanderer rather than stagnate in the old state.  And that through the sharing of the period of greatness among larger groups of people, the ability to sustain that experience will be greater and the seeds for rejuvenation of that energy will be widely sown and firmly planted.


                Fȇng (55)                                                                            Lü (56)

                                                             

Musical Interlude - Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)

I’ve been enjoying a recorded lecture series entitled The 30 Greatest Orchestral Works.  It’s from The Great Courses (www.thegreatcourses.com) featuring Dr. Robert Greenberg as lecturer.  One of the things I like most about the course is how Dr. Greenberg places the classics in historical context.  He paints vivid pictures of the composers, the times and places in which they lived and worked, and the personal dimensions of their lives that colored their masterworks.

It may seem inappropriate for one person to define the 30 greatest orchestral works.  It may have been more correct to simply call the series “30 Classical Masterworks” because in Lecture 32 “The Ones That Got Away” he mentions some of the many works that rightly deserved to have been included in the series but that due to a variety of reasons, including overzealous copyright protections that prohibited the examination of certain pieces, we would have to be content with the 30 he selected.  He points out several times that he would not say that one symphony is necessarily “better” than another, but in this collection he has avoided including any works that had already been discussed in his other lectures so the list of eligible pieces was already shortened.  I for one am content to let Dr. Greenberg expand my appreciation of a collection that is worthy of representing western classical music.  The pieces range from the Baroque through the Classical and Romantic periods up to Modernism with Dmitri Shostakovich in 1953 – a span of over 200 years.

While I am unable to convey the musical dimensions of my experience for lack of audio examples and formal training in music theory, perhaps I can share something that will color your next listening. 

Take, for instance, Antonio Vivaldi.  Most famous for The Four Seasons, Professor Greenberg characterizes Vivaldi’s more than 500 concerti as “the capstone of the Italian baroque instrumental style, and…one of the greatest bodies of work ever composed by anybody.”  As such, that would make his The Four Seasons, the apex of that capstone.  Published in 1725, it remains one of the earliest orchestral works that still enjoys a place in the standard repertoire.   

You may not know that The Four Seasons was published as a set of 12 concerti that make up his opus 8 entitled The Contest of Harmony and of Invention.  Greenberg recognizes the title as a stoke of marketing genius that enticed listeners to purchase the work so as to experience a duel between learned craft and intuitive imagination at a time when concerti publishing was so highly competitive.  According to Greenberg, Vivaldi “was an egomaniacal, opportunistic, thin-skinned, greedy, often outrageously dishonest wheeler-dealer.”  Not the image you might have of the “Red Priest,” Abbé Lord Antonio Vivaldi, red-headed violin master, conductor, composer, and dean of music at the Pieta girls orphanage in Venice.

The Pieta was just one of four orphanages where girls learned the most important and popular Venetian trade:  music.  Music standards were so high at the Pieta that the daughters of nobility were sent there to study.  Founded in 1346, during Vivaldi’s tenure it became the center of the Venetian music scene.  Vivaldi served there for 37 years during which time he honed his craft to the point where he boasted that he could compose a concerto more quickly than it could be copied.  That boast might lead some today to argue that after the first 100 or so concerti, that latter ones must have become rather derivative and predictable.  As I have not listened to all 500, I’ll sidestep any comment on that criticism although I think it is fair to say that of his violin, flute, trumpet, guitar and mandolin concerti I have heard, his style is recognizable.  Then again, he is credited with institutionalizing the three-movement “fast-slow-fast” form of concerti movements, so that’s to be expected.

Despite a perfidious and penurious personality and his prodigious productivity, the uniquenss, virtuosity, and imagery of The Four Seasons is undeniable.  As Ted Libbey’s 1994 edition of The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection (yes EV, after 18 years it still gets plenty of use thank you very much!) puts it:

            “The wealth of effect and the quality of diversion that Vivaldi was able to achieve in The Four Seasons, using nothing more than string instruments, still compels the greatest admiration.  Their imagery-of birds in spring, storms in summer, huntsmen in autumn, and icy landscapes in winter-is as vivid today as on the day the notes were penned.”

I couldn’t agree more.  And, for a bit of variety if you haven’t already discovered his flute concerti, do yourself a favor and listen to the Concerto for Flute in D major, Op. 10 no 3/RV 428 "Il gardellino" (the Goldfinch), played by James Galway of course (see:  http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=169921

N.B.  During preparation of this post, I came across the “Classical Notes” of Peter Gutmann (http://www.classicalnotes.net/) who appears to have devoted quite some time to sharing his appreciation of classical music.  And on a synchronistic note - as I prepared to complete this post, my Pandora Beethoven station chose to play Joshua Bell's version of "Spring!"

8th 8 Recap

I Ching Explorations - Interlude 1

 

 

 

 

Professor:  Any thoughts on this 8^th group of 8 hexagrams that conclude the Book of Changes?

Student:   Well, clearly:

The gentle, penetrating wind (57) becomes,

The joyous, lake (58), becomes,

Dispersion (59), becomes,

Limitation (60), becomes,

Inner truth (61), becomes,

Preponderance of the small (62), becomes,

After completion (63), becomes, and

Before completion (64) must complete the cycle and become #1 – Ch’ien, The Creative to start it all over again.  What I don’t understand is why these particular hexagrams appear in this particular order.  I’d think that there would be a rational explanation for the transformation of one hexagram to the next, but I don’t see any pattern.

P:  You mean something like this?

S:  Right – now that’s a logical sequence but we know that the Receptive is not hexagram #64, so why is that?

P:  Who said anything about logic?  If anything, we’ve been talking about a spiritual and esoteric system of ancient knowledge and insight that was organized as early as the 12^th century BCE by the legendary King Wen.  WB does touch on the question in his discussion entitled The Structure of the Hexagrams by saying:

            …there later was constructed a system of transforming the hexagrams one into another, which has led to much confusion.  This system is here left wholly out of account, since it is not in any way essential to the explanation.

So, for our purposes, let’s focus on the fact that each hexagram has the potential to transform into any other hexagram depending on whether the lines are determined to be moving or stationary when one consults the oracle – and I realize we haven’t discussed the process of consultation and moving or unmoving lines, but we will in time.  As such, the flow from one hexagram to another need not be sequential and linear.  Nevertheless, based on the imagery we have discussed for each hexagram, can you describe for me a sequence of events that might correspond to the sequence of hexagrams from 57 though 64?

S:  Building on what I interpret as the “positive” characteristics of each hexagram, a possible sequence of events may be:

A humble traveler steps forward decisively and,

Finding inner peace in the contentment of a child,

Delivers stimulating ideas, but having

Accepted limitations demonstrates frugality, then

Serves a central unifying role, and

Rallies helpers to be effective, but must

Patiently wait until the moment arrives before

The time of glorious success.

P:  And a “negative” sequence?

S:  A negative sequence might go like this:

An indecisive one who over-analyzes every move, and

Is susceptible to an ingratiating syncophant, becomes

Alienated from others and of ill humor, so

When the time comes for action, hesitation causes misfortune, and

Having lost the inner compass is tossed to and fro by the emotional turmoil of

others, and

Exhausts all energy by striving too high too soon, but

After overcoming challenges risks misfortune through vain self-admiration, and

Forfeits success through the impropriety of excessive celebration.

P:  And what about situations that fall in between?

S:  Well, as you said, given the potential for each line to transform to its opposite depending on how the form of each line, it would seem futile to attempt to characterize the myriad possibilities.

P:  Very good – let’s focus our attention, not upon these patterns, frozen as they are in space, but upon the processes they represent that give dynamic meaning to life.

S:  Here here!

57 - Sun (Xun) - The Gentle (Proceeding Humbly)

I Ching explorations - Part 57 of 64

Professor:  Here again we encounter a doubled trigram, this time a yielding (yin) line beneath two firm (yang) lines.  AH translates Xun as an action – a proceeding and thus interprets it as “Proceeding Humbly.”  WB translates the hexagram as a doubling of the gentle penetrating wind or wood.

Student:  I understand the position of the yielding line beneath two firm lines as indicating a submissive or humble attitude, but where does the image of wind or wood come from?

P:  We’ll need to take a step deeper into the origins of the I Ching to offer an answer to that question.  According to legend, four images were developed from the possible combinations of the primal pair:  dark (yin - divided) and light (yang - solid lines):

(see also:  http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/bagua.htm)

The eight primary symbols (bagua) consisting of the addition of either a firm or yielding line to each of the four primal pairs.  According to WB’s translation of Shuo Kua’s Discussion of the Trigrams [Eighth Wing], the eight trigrams were devised before the Book of Changes (aka the I Ching).  The Sequence of Earlier Heaven or the Primal Arrangement was devised to pair up these eight primal forces:

            Heaven and earth determine the direction.  The forces of mountain and lake are united.  Thunder and wind arouse each other.  Water and fire do not combat each other.  Thus are the eight trigrams intermingled. (WB)

Adding a yielding (yin) line to the bottom of the double firm (yang) lines suggests a humble and submissive position, but one of persistent and gentle movement against the firm.  Thus, the image of a plant gradually pushing its way through soil or wind gently eroding stone.  “Gently proceeding is the most effective way to influence events.  It never violates and is therefore easily accepted.” (AH)

S:   But when we draw this hexagram is the message about being meek and weak?

P:  No, humility and gentleness should not imply inferiority and weakness.  This hexagram speaks to a “penetrating clarity of judgment that thwarts all dark hidden motives” (WB) and the ceaseless and focused influence that produces enduring and complete changes.  The point is that gentle behaviors, when focused on a specific goal with patience and perseverance, will have lasting effects.

S:  Can we take a look at the individual lines?

P:  Let’s!

1.                   She lacks self-confidence and needs someone to give clear directions.

2.                   Indefatigable efforts to bring hidden influences into the light of day

3.                   He overanalyzes the situation and is unable to act

4.                   Innate modesty and energetic action join to produce positive outcomes

5.                   She steps forward resolutely after careful consideration

6.                   Clarity of understanding combined with extreme meekness – no confidence

 S:  So, the message seems to be that one can achieve great things through humble and gentle influences as long as they are clearly focused and persistently acted upon.

P:  And gentle and persistent changes have more lasting effects than those imposed by surprise.  In the realm of the community, it is the gentle and persistent exposing of intrigues and anonymity that shun the light of truth but, when are exposed, lose their power over people.