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HEXAGRAM 31 – Hsien – Influence ( Wooing)
Above TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE
Below KEN KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN
The name of the hexagram means
· "universal,"
· "general,"
and in a figurative sense
· "to influence,"
· "to stimulate."
· The upper trigrams is Tui, the Joyous;
· the lower is Ken, Keeping Still.
By its persistent, quiet influence,
the lower, rigid trigram stimulates
the upper, weak trigram, which
responds to this stimulation cheerfully and joyously.
· Ken, the lower trigram,
o is the youngest son;
· the upper, Tui,
o is the youngest daughter.
Thus the universal mutual attraction between the sexes is represented.
In courtship,
the masculine principle must
· seize the initiative and
· place itself below the feminine principle.
Just as
· the first part of book I begins with the hexagrams of heaven and earth,
o the foundations of all that exists,
· the second part begins with the hexagrams of courtship and marriage,
o the foundations of all social relationships.
THE JUDGMENT
Influence.
Success.
· Perseverance furthers.
· To take a maiden to wife brings good fortune.
· The weak element is above,
· the strong below;
hence
· their powers attract each other,
· so that they unite.
This brings about success,
for all success depends on the effect of mutual attraction.
· By keeping still within
· while experiencing joy without,
one can
· prevent the joy from going to excess and
· hold it within proper bounds.
This is the meaning of the added admonition, "Perseverance furthers," for
it is perseverance that makes the difference between
· seduction and
· courtship;
in the latter
the strong man
· takes a position inferior to that of the weak girl and
· shows consideration for her.
This attraction between affinities is a general law of nature.
· Heaven and earth attract each other
and thus
· all creatures come into being.
Through such attraction
· the sage influences men’s hearts,
and thus
· the world attains peace.
From the attractions they exert
we can learn the nature of all beings
· in heaven and
· on earth.
THE IMAGE
A lake on the mountain: The image of influence.
Thus the superior man
encourages people to approach him
By his readiness to receive them.
A mountain with a lake on its summit is stimulated
by the moisture from the lake.
It has this advantage because its summit
· does not jut out as a peak
· but is sunken.
The image counsels that
the mind should be kept
· humble and
· free,
so that it may remain receptive to good advice.
People soon give up counseling
a man who thinks that
he knows everything better than anyone else.
THE LINES
Six in the second place means:
The influence shows itself in the calves of the legs.
Misfortune.
Tarrying brings good fortune.
In movement, the calf of the leg follows the foot;
by itself it can
· neither go forward
· nor stand still.
Since the movement is not self-governed, it bodes ill.
· One should wait quietly until
· one is impelled to action by a real influence.
Then
· one remains uninjured.
Nine in the third place means:
The influence shows itself in the thighs.
Holds to that which follows it.
To continue is humiliating.
Every mood of the heart influences us to movement.
What the heart desires, the thighs run after without a moment’s hesitation;
they hold to the heart, which they follow.
In the life of man, however,
· acting on the spur of every caprice is wrong
and if continued
· leads to humiliation.
Three considerations suggest themselves here.
1. First, a man
· should not run precipitately after all the persons whom he would like to influence, but
· must be able to hold back under certain circumstances.
2. As little should he yield immediately to every whim of those in whose service he stands.
3. Finally, where the moods of his own heart are concerned, he should never ignore the possibility of inhibition, for this is the basis of human freedom.
0 Nine in the fifth place means:
The influence shows itself in the back of the neck.
No remorse.
The back of the neck is the most rigid part of the body.
When the influence shows itself there,
· the will remains firm and
· the influence does not lead to confusion.
Hence remorse does not enter into consideration here.
What takes place in the depths of one’s being, in the unconscious, can
· neither be called forth
· nor prevented by the conscious mind.
It is true that if
· we cannot be influenced ourselves,
· we cannot influence the outside world.
MOVING HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 40 – Hsieh – Deliverance
Above CHEN THE AROUSING, THUNDER
Below K’AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER
Here the movement goes out of the sphere of danger.
· The obstacle has been removed,
· the difficulties are being resolved.
· Deliverance is not yet achieved; it is just in its beginning, and
· the hexagram represents its various stages.
THE JUDGMENT
DELIVERANCE.
The southwest furthers.
· If there is no longer anything where one has to go,
o Return brings good fortune.
· If there is still something where one has to go,
o Hastening brings good fortune.
This refers to a time in which
· tensions and
· complications
begin to be eased.
At such times
we ought to make our way back to ordinary conditions as soon as possible;
this is the meaning of "the southwest."
These periods of sudden change have great importance.
Just as
· rain relieves atmospheric tension, making all the buds burst open,
so
· a time of deliverance from burdensome pressure has a
o liberating and
o stimulating
effect on life.
One thing is important, however:
in such times we must not overdo our triumph.
The point is not to push on farther than is necessary.
Returning to the regular order of life as soon as deliverance is achieved
brings good fortune.
If there are any residual matters that ought to be attended to,
it should be done as quickly as possible,
so that
· a clean sweep is made and
· no retardation occur.
THE IMAGE
Thunder and rain set in: The image of DELIVERANCE.
Thus the superior man
· pardons mistakes And
· forgives misdeeds.
A thunderstorm has the effect of clearing the air;
the superior man produces a similar effect when dealing with
· mistakes and
· sins of men
that induce a condition of tension.
· he brings deliverance Through clarity.
However, when failings come to light,
· he does not dwell on them;
· he simply passes over mistakes, the unintentional transgressions,
o just as thunder dies away.
· He forgives misdeeds, the intentional transgressions,
o just as water washes everything clean.
