I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm
29. K'an / The Abysmal (Water)
above K'AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER
below K'AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER
This hexagram consists of a doubling of the trigram K'an. It is one of the
eight hexagrams in which doubling occurs. The trigram K'an means a
plunging in. A yang line has plunged in between two yin lines and is
closed
in by them like water in a ravine. The trigram K'an is also the middle
son.
The Receptive has obtained the middle line of the Creative, and thus K'an
develops. As an image it represents water, the water that comes from above
and is in motion on earth in streams and rivers, giving rise to all life on
earth.
In man's world K'an represents the heart, the soul locked up within the
body, the principle of light inclosed in the dark--that is, reason. The
name of
the hexagram, because the trigram is doubled, has the additional meaning,
"repetition of danger." Thus the hexagram is intended to designate an
objective situation to which one must become accustomed, not a subjective
attitude. For danger due to a subjective attitude means either
foolhardiness
or guile. Hence too a ravine is used to symbolize danger; it is a
situation in
which a man is in the same pass as the water in a ravine, and, like the
water,
he can escape if he behaves correctly.
THE JUDGMENT
The Abysmal repeated.
If you are sincere, you have success in your heart,
And whatever you do succeeds.
Through repetition of danger we grow accustomed to it. 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.
Thus
likewise, if one is sincere when confronted with difficulties, the heart
can
penetrate the meaning of the situation. And once we have gained inner
mastery of a problem, it will come about naturally that the action we
take will
succeed. In danger all that counts is really carrying out all that has
to be done-
-thoroughness--and going forward, in order not to perish through tarrying
in
the danger.
Properly used, danger can have an important meaning as a protective
measure. Thus heaven has its perilous height protecting it against every
attempt at invasion, and earth has its mountains and bodies of water,
separating countries by their dangers. Thus also rulers make use of
danger to
protect themselves against attacks from without and against turmoil within.
THE IMAGE
Water flows on uninterruptedly and reaches its foal:
The image of the Abysmal repeated.
Thus the superior man walks in lasting virtue
And carries on the business of teaching.
Water reaches its goal by flowing continually. It fills up every
depression
before it flows on. The superior man follows its example; he is concerned
that goodness should be an established attribute of character rather than
an
accidental and isolated occurrence. So likewise in teaching others
everything
depends on consistency, for it is only through repetition that the pupil
makes
the material his own.
THE LINES
Six at the beginning means:
Repetition of the Abysmal.
In the abyss one falls into a pit.
Misfortune.
By growing used to what is dangerous, a man can easily allow it to become
part of him. He is familiar with it and grows used to evil. With this he
has
lost the right way, and misfortune is the natural result.
° Nine in the second place means:
The abyss is dangerous.
One should strive to attain small things only.
When we are in danger we ought not to attempt to get out of it immediately,
regardless of circumstances; at first we must content ourselves with not
being
overcome by it. We must calmly weigh the conditions of the time and by
satisfied with small gains, because for the time being a great success
cannot be
attained. A spring flows only sparingly at first, and tarries for some
time
before it makes its way in to the open.
Six in the third place means:
Forward and backward, abyss on abyss.
In danger like this, pause at first and wait,
Otherwise you will fall into a pit in the abyss.
Do not act this way.
Here every step, forward or backward, leads into danger. Escape is out
of the
question. Therefore we must not be misled into action, as a result of
which
we should only bog down deeper in the danger; disagreeable as it may be to
remain in such a situation, we must wait until a way out shows itself.
Six in the fourth place means:
A jug of wine, a bowl of rice with it;
Earthen vessels
Simply handed in through the Window.
There is certainly no blame in this.
In times of danger ceremonious forms are dropped. What matters most is
sincerity. Although as a rule it is customary for an official to present
certain
introductory gifts and recommendations before he is appointed, here
everything is simplified to the utmost. The gifts are insignificant,
there is no
one to sponsor him, he introduces himself; yet all this need not be
humiliating if only there is the honest intention of mutual help in danger.
Still another idea is suggested. The window is the place through which
light
enters the room. If in difficult times we want to enlighten someone, we
must
begin with that which is in itself lucid and proceed quite simply from that
point on.
° Nine in the fifth place means:
The abyss is not filled to overflowing,
It is filled only to the rim.
No blame.
Danger comes because one is too ambitious. In order to flow out of a
ravine,
water does not rise higher than the lowest point of the rim. So likewise a
man when in danger has only to proceed along the line of least resistance;
thus he reaches the goal. Great labors cannot be accomplished in such
times; it
is enough to get out of the danger.
Six at the top means:
Bound with cords and ropes,
Shut in between thorn-hedged prison walls:
For three years one does not find the way.
Misfortune.
A man who in the extremity of danger has lost the right way and is
irremediably entangled in his sins has no prospect of escape. He is like a
criminal who sits shackled behind thorn hedged prison walls.
index
30. Li / The Clinging, Fire
above LI THE CLINGING, FIRE
below LI THE CLINGING, FIRE
This hexagram is another double sign. The trigram Li means "to cling to
something," and also "brightness." A dark line clings to two light
lines, one
above and one below--the image of an empty space between two strong lines,
whereby the two strong lines are made bright. The trigram represents the
middle daughter. The Creative has incorporated the central line of the
Receptive, and thus Li develops. As an image, it is fire. Fire has no
definite
form but clings to the burning object and thus is bright. As water pours
down
from heaven, so fire flames up from the earth. While K'an means the soul
shut within the body, Li stands for nature in its radiance.
THE JUDGMENT
THE CLINGING. Perseverance furthers.
It brings success.
Care of the cow brings good fortune.
What is dark clings to what is light and so enhances the brightness of the
latter. A luminous thing giving out light must have within itself
something
that perseveres; otherwise it will in time burn itself out. Everything
that gives
light is dependent on something to which it clings, in order that it may
continue to shine.
Thus the sun and moon cling to heaven, and grain, grass, and trees
cling to
the earth. So too the twofold clarity of the dedicated man clings to
what is
right and thereby can shape the world. Human life on earth is conditioned
and unfree, and when man recognizes this limitation and makes himself
dependent upon the harmonious and beneficent forces of the cosmos, he
achieves success. The cow is the symbol of extreme docility. By
cultivating in
himself an attitude of compliance and voluntary dependence, man acquires
clarity without sharpness and finds his place in the world.
THE IMAGE
That which is bright rises twice:
The image of FIRE.
Thus the great man, by perpetuating this brightness,
Illumines the four quarters of the world.
Each of the two trigrams represents the sun in the course of a day. The
two
together represent the repeated movement of the sun, the function of light
with respect to time. The great man continues the work of nature in the
human world. Through the clarity of his nature he causes the light to
spread
farther and farther and to penetrate the nature of man ever more deeply.
THE LINES
Nine at the beginning means:
The footprints run crisscross.
If one is seriously intent, no blame.
It is early morning and work begins. The mind has been closed to the
outside
world in sleep; now its connections with the world begin again. The
traces of
one's impressions run crisscross. Activity and haste prevail. It is
important
then to preserve inner composure and not to allow oneself to be swept along
by the bustle of life. If one is serious and composed, he can acquire
the clarity
of mind needed for coming to terms with the innumerable impressions that
pour in. It is precisely at the beginning that serious concentration is
important, because the beginning holds the seed of all that is to follow.
° Six in the second place means:
Yellow light. Supreme good fortune.
Midday has come; the sun shines with a yellow light. Yellow is the color
of
measure and mean. Yellow light is therefore a symbol of the highest
culture
and art, whose consummate harmony consists in holding to the mean.
Nine in the third place means:
In the light of the setting sun,
Men either beat the pot and sing
Or loudly bewail the approach of old age.
Misfortune.
Here the end of the day has come. The light of the setting sun calls to
mind
the fact that life is transitory and conditional. Caught in this external
bondage, men are usually robbed of their inner freedom as well. The
sense of
the transitoriness of life impels them to uninhibited revelry in order to
enjoy
life while it lasts, or else they yield to melancholy and spoil the
precious time
by lamenting the approach of old age. Both attitudes are wrong. To the
superior man it makes no difference whether death comes early or late. He
cultivates himself, awaits his allotted time, and in this way secures his
fate.
Nine in the fourth place means:
Its coming is sudden;
It flames up, dies down, is thrown away.
Clarity of mind has the same relation to life that fire has to wood.
Fire clings
to wood, but also consumes it. Clarity of mind is rooted in life but can
also
consume it. Everything depends upon how the clarity functions. Here the
image used is that of a meteor or a straw fire. A man who is excitable and
restless may rise quickly to prominence but produces no lasting effects.
Thus
matters end badly when a man spends himself too rapidly and consumes
himself like a meteor.
° Six in the fifth place means:
Tears in floods, sighing and lamenting.
Good fortune.
Here the zenith of life has been reached. Were there no warning, one would
at this point consume oneself like a flame. Instead, understanding the
vanity
of all things, one may put aside both hope and fear, and sigh and lament:
if
one is intent on retaining his clarity of mind, good fortune will come from
this grief. For here we are dealing not with a passing mood, as in the
nine in
the third place, but with a real change of heart.
Nine at the top means:
The king used him to march forth and chastise.
Then it is best to kill the leaders
And take captive the followers. No blame.
It is not the purpose of chastisement to impose punishment blindly but to
create discipline. Evil must be cured at its roots. To eradicate evil
in political
life, it is best to kill the ringleaders and spare the followers. In
educating
oneself it is best to root out bad habits and tolerate those that are
harmless.
For asceticism that is too strict, like sentences of undue severity,
fails in its
purpose.
index
Ron Epstein
Research Professor Lecturer
Institute for World Religions Philosophy Department
2304 McKinley Avenue San Francisco State University
Berkeley, CA 94703 1600 Holloway Avenue
(510) 848-3440 (415) 338-3140
namofo@jps.net epstein@athena.sfsu.edu
"Genetic Engineering and Its Dangers":
http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/gedanger.htm