HEXAGRAM 36 – Ming I – Darkening of the Light

HEXAGRAM 36 – Ming I – Darkening of the Light

Above    K’UN    THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH

Below    LI    THE CLINGING, FIRE

Here the sun

• has sunk under the earth and
  
• is therefore darkened.
  

The name of the hexagram means literally “wounding of the bright”; hence

the individual lines contain frequent references to wounding.

The situation is the exact opposite of that in the foregoing hexagram.

In the latter

• a wise man at the head of affairs
  
  • has able helpers, and in company with them
    
  • makes progress;
    

here

• a man of dark nature
  
  • is in a position of authority and
    
  • brings harm to the wise and able man.
    

THE JUDGMENT

DARKENING OF THE LIGHT.

In adversity

It furthers one to be persevering.

One

• must not unresistingly let himself be swept along
  

  by unfavorable circumstances,
  

• nor permit his steadfastness to be shaken.
  

He can avoid this by

• maintaining his inner light, while
  
• remaining outwardly yielding and tractable.
  

With this attitude

he can overcome even the greatest adversities.

In some situations indeed a man

• must hide his light, in order to
  
• make his will prevail in spite of difficulties in his immediate environment.
  

Perseverance

• must dwell in inmost consciousness and
  
• should not be discernible from without.
  

Only thus is

a man able to maintain his will in the face of difficulties.

THE IMAGE

The light has sunk into the earth: The image of DARKENING OF THE LIGHT.

Thus does

• the superior man live with the great mass:
  
• He
  
  • veils his light,
    
  • yet still shines.
    

In a time of darkness it is essential to be

• cautious and
  
• reserved.
  

One should not needlessly awaken overwhelming enmity

by inconsiderate behavior.

In such times

• one ought not to fall in with the practices of others;
  
• neither should one drag them censoriously into the light.
  

In social intercourse

• one should not try to be all-knowing.
  
• One should let many things pass, without being duped.
  

THE LINES

Nine at the beginning means:

Darkening of the light during flight.

He lowers his wings.

The superior man

• does not eat for three days On his wanderings.
  

But he

• has somewhere to go.
  

The host has occasion to gossip about him

With grandiose resolve

a man

• endeavors to soar above all obstacles, but thus
  
• encounters a hostile fate.
  

He

• retreats and
  
• evades the issue.
  

The time is difficult.

Without rest, he must hurry along,

with no permanent abiding place.

If he

• does not want to make compromises within himself,
  
• but insists on remaining true to his principles,
  

he suffers deprivation.

Nevertheless

he has a fixed goal to strive for,

even though the people with whom he lives

• do not understand him and
  
• speak ill of him.
  

0 Six in the second place means:

Darkening of the light injures him in the left thigh.

He gives aid with the strength of a horse.

Good fortune.

Here the Lord of Light

• is in a subordinate place and
  
• is wounded by the Lord of Darkness.
  

But the injury is not fatal;

it is only a hindrance.

Rescue is still possible.

• The wounded man gives no thought to himself;
  
• he thinks only of saving the others who are also in danger.
  

Therefore

he tries with all his strength to save all that can be saved.

There is good fortune in thus acting according to duty.

Nine in the third place means:

Darkening of the light during the hunt in the south.

Their great leader is captured.

One must not expect perseverance too soon.

It seems as if chance were at work.

• While the strong, loyal man
  
  • is striving eagerly and in good faith to create order,
    
• he
  
  • meets the ringleader of the disorder, as if by accident, and
    
  • seizes him.
    

Thus victory is achieved.

But in abolishing abuses one must not be too hasty.

This would turn out badly

because the abuses have been in existence so long.

Six in the fourth place means:

He penetrates the left side of the belly.

One

• gets at the very heart of the darkening of the light, And
  
• leaves gate and courtyard.
  

We

find ourselves close to the commander of darkness and so

discover his most secret thoughts.

In this way

• we realize that there is no longer any hope of improvement, and thus
  
• we are enabled to leave the scene of disaster before the storm breaks.
  

Six in the fifth place means:

Darkening of the light as with Prince Chi.

Perseverance furthers.

Prince Chi

lived at the court of the evil tyrant Chou Hsin, who,

although not mentioned by name,

furnishes the historical example on which this whole situation is based.

Prince Chi

was a relative of the tyrant and

could not withdraw from court;

therefore

he

• concealed his true sentiments and
  
• feigned insanity.
  

Although

• he was held a slave,
  
• he did not allow external misery to deflect him from his convictions.
  

This provides a teaching for those who cannot leave their posts in times of darkness.

In order to escape danger,

they need

• invincible perseverance of spirit and
  
• redoubled caution in their dealings with the world.
  

Six at the top means:

Not light but darkness.

• First he climbed up to heaven,
  
• Then he plunged into the depths of the earth.
  

Here the climax of the darkening is reached.

• The dark power at first held so high a place that
  
• it could wound all who were on the side of good and of the light.
  

But in the end

• it perishes of its own darkness,
  
• for evil
  
  • must itself fall at the very moment when
    
• it
  
  • has wholly overcome the good, and thus
    
  • consumed the energy to which it owed its duration.
    

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