HEXAGRAM 60 – Chieh – Limitation

HEXAGRAM 60 – Chieh – Limitation

Above    K’AN    THE ABYSMAL, WATER

Below    TUI    THE JOYOUS, LAKE

• A lake occupies a limited space.
  

When more water comes into it,

• it overflows.
  

Therefore

limits must be set for the water.

The image shows

• water below and
  
• water above,
  
• with the firmament between them as a limit.
  

The Chinese word for limitation really

denotes the joints that divide a bamboo stalk.

• In relation to ordinary life
  
  • it means the thrift that sets fixed limits upon expenditures.
    
• In relation to the moral sphere
  
  • it means the fixed limits that the superior man sets upon his actions –
    

    the limits of loyalty and disinterestedness.
    

THE JUDGMENT

LIMITATION.

Success.

Galling limitation must not be persevered in.

• Limitations are troublesome,
  

but

• they are effective.
  

If

• we live economically in normal times,
  
• we are prepared for times of want.
  

To be sparing saves us from humiliation.

Limitations are also indispensable in the regulation of world conditions.

In nature there are fixed limits for

• summer and winter,
  
• day and night, and
  

these limits give the year its meaning.

In the same way,

economy,

by setting fixed limits upon expenditures,

acts to

• preserve property and
  
• prevent injury to the people.
  

But in limitation

we must observe due measure.

• If a man should seek to impose galling limitations upon his own nature,
  
  • it would be injurious.
    

And

• if he should go too far in imposing limitations on others,
  
  • they would rebel.
    

Therefore

it is necessary to set limits even upon limitations

THE IMAGE

Water over lake: the image of LIMITATION.

Thus

the superior man

• Creates number and measure, And
  
• examines the nature of virtue and correct conduct.
  

• A lake is something limited.
  
• Water is inexhaustible.
  

A lake

• can contain only a definite amount of the infinite quantity of water;
  
• this is its peculiarity.
  

In human life too

the individual achieves significance through

• discrimination and
  
• the setting of limits.
  

Therefore

what concerns us here is

the problem of clearly defining these discriminations,

which are, so to speak,

• the backbone of morality.
  

• Unlimited possibilities are not suited to man;
  
• if
  
• they existed,
  
• his life would only dissolve in the boundless.
  

To become strong,

a man’s life needs the limitations

• ordained by duty and
  
• voluntarily accepted.
  

The individual attains significance as a free spirit only

• by surrounding himself with these limitations and
  
• by determining for himself what his duty is.
  

THE LINES

Nine at the beginning means:

Not going out of the door and the courtyard

Is without blame.

Often a man who

• would like to undertake something
  
• finds himself confronted by insurmountable limitations.
  

Then he must know where to stop.

If

he

• rightly understands this and
  
• does not go beyond the limits set for him,
  

he

• accumulates an energy that enables him,
  

  when the proper time comes,
  

• to act with great force.
  

Discretion is of prime importance in preparing the way for momentous things.

Concerning this, Confucius says:

• Where disorder develops,
  
  • words are the first steps.
    
• If the prince is not discreet,
  
  • he loses his servant.
    
• If the servant is not discreet,
  
  • he loses his life.
    
• If germinating things are not handled with discretion,
  
  • the perfecting of them is impeded.
    

Therefore

• the superior man
  
  • is careful to maintain silence and
    
  • does not go forth.
    

Nine in the second place means:

Not going out of the gate and the courtyard

Brings misfortune.

When

• the time for action has come,
  
• the moment must be quickly seized.
  

Just as

• water first collects in a lake without flowing out,
  
• yet is certain to find an outlet when the lake is full,
  

so it is in the life of man.

• It is a good thing to hesitate
  

so long as

• the time for action has not come, but no longer.
  

Once

the obstacles to action have been removed,

anxious hesitation

• is a mistake that is bound to bring disaster,
  
• because one misses one’s opportunity.
  

Six in the third place means:

He who knows no limitation

Will have cause to lament.

No blame.

If

• an individual is bent only on pleasures and enjoyment,
  
• it is easy for him to lose his sense of the limits that are necessary.
  

If

• he gives himself over to extravagance,
  
• he will have to suffer the consequences,
  

  with accompanying regret.
  

He must not seek to lay the blame on others.

Only when

• we realize that our mistakes are of our own making
  
• will such disagreeable experiences free us of errors.
  

Six in the fourth place means:

Contented limitation.

Success.

• Every limitation has its value,
  

but

• a limitation that requires persistent effort entails a cost of too much energy.
  

When, however,

• the limitation is a natural one
  
• (as for example, the limitation by which water flows only downhill),
  
• it necessarily leads to success,
  

for then

• it means a saving of energy.
  

The energy that otherwise

would be consumed in a vain struggle with the object,

• is applied wholly to the benefit of the matter in hand, and
  
• success is assured.
  

Nine in the fifth place means:

Sweet limitation brings good fortune.

Going brings esteem.

The limitation must be carried out in the right way

if it is to be effective.

If we

• seek to impose restrictions on others only,
  
• while evading them ourselves,
  
• these restrictions will always be resented and will provoke resistance.
  

If, however,

a man in a leading position

• applies the limitation first to himself,
  
• demanding little from those associated with him, and with modest means
  
• manages to achieve something,
  

good fortune is the result.

Where such an example occurs,

• it meets with emulation,
  
• so that whatever is undertaken must succeed.
  

Six at the top means:

Galling limitation.

Perseverance brings misfortune.

Remorse disappears.

If

• one is too severe in setting up restrictions,
  
• people will not endure them.
  

• The more consistent such severity,
  
• the worse it is,
  

for in the long run

• a reaction is unavoidable.
  

In the same way,

• the tormented body will rebel against excessive asceticism.
  

On the other hand, although

• ruthless severity is not to be applied persistently and systematically,
  

there may be times when

• it is the only means of safeguarding against guilt and remorse.
  

In such situations

• ruthlessness toward oneself
  
• is the only means of saving one’s soul,
  

which otherwise

• would succumb to irresolution and temptation.
  

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