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, is the youngest son;
- the upper, Tui, 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,
- heaven
the foundations of all that exists,
-
the second part begins with the hexagrams of
- courtship
and
- marriage,
- courtship
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 at the beginning means:
The influence shows itself in the big toe.
A movement,
before it is actually carried out,
shows itself first in the toes.
The idea of an influence is already present,
but it is not immediately apparent to others.
As long as the intention has no visible effect,
it
- is of no importance to the outside world
and
- leads neither to good nor to evil.
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.
- 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.
- As little should he yield immediately
- to every whim of those in whose service he stands.
- 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 fourth place means:
Perseverance brings good fortune.
Remorse disappears.
If a man
- is agitated in mind,
And
- his thoughts go hither and thither,
Only those friends On whom he fixes his conscious thoughts Will follow.
Here the place of the heart is reached.
The impulse that springs from this source is the most important of all.
It is of particular concern that this influence be
- constant
and
- good;
then, in spite of the danger arising from the great susceptibility of the human heart,
there will be no cause for remorse.
When the quiet power of a man’s own character is at work,
the effects produced are right.
All those who are receptive to the vibrations of such a spirit will then be influenced.
Influence over others should not express itself
as a conscious and willed effort to manipulate them.
Through practicing such conscious incitement,
-
one becomes wrought up and is exhausted
by the eternal stress and strain.
Moreover,
-
the effects produced are then limited
to those on whom one’s thoughts are consciously fixed.
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.
Six at the top means:
The influence shows itself in the
- jaws,
- cheeks,
and
- tongue.
The most superficial way of trying to influence others is
through talk that has nothing real behind it.
The influence produced by such mere tongue wagging must necessarily
remain insignificant.
Hence no indication is added regarding good or bad fortune.
