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HEXAGRAM 27 – I – The Corners of the Mouth (Providing Nourishment)

Above    KEN    KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN

Below    CHEN    THE AROUSING, THUNDER

This hexagram is a picture of an open mouth;

• above and below are the firm lines of the lips, and
  
• between them the opening.
  

Starting with the mouth,

through which we take food for nourishment,

the thought leads to nourishment itself.

Nourishment

• of oneself, specifically of the body, is represented in the three lower lines,
  
• while the three upper lines represent nourishment and care of others, in a higher, spiritual sense.
  

 

THE JUDGMENT

THE CORNERS OF THE MOUTH.

Perseverance brings good fortune.

Pay heed

• to the providing of nourishment And
  
• to what a man seeks To fill his own mouth with.
  

In bestowing care and nourishment, it is important

• that the right people should be taken care of and
  
• that we should attend to our own nourishment in the right way.
  

If

• we wish to know what anyone is like,
  
• we have only to observe
  
  • on whom he bestows his care and
    
  • what sides of his own nature he cultivates and nourishes.
    

Nature nourishes all creatures.

The great man fosters and takes care of superior men,

in order to take care of all men through them.

Mencius says about this:

If

• we wish to know whether anyone is superior or not,
  
• we need only observe what part of his being he regards as especially important.
  

The body has

• superior and inferior,
  
• important and unimportant parts.
  

We

• must not injure important parts for the sake of the unimportant,
  
• nor must we injure the superior parts for the sake of the inferior.
  

• He who cultivates the inferior parts of his nature is an inferior man.
  
• He who cultivates the superior parts of his nature is a superior man. 1
  

 

THE IMAGE

At the foot of the mountain, thunder:

The image of PROVIDING NOURISHMENT.

Thus the superior man is

• careful of his words And
  
• temperate in eating and drinking.
  

“God comes forth in the sign of the Arousing” 2:

when in the spring the life forces stir again,

all things come into being anew.

“He brings to perfection in the sign of Keeping Still”:

thus

in the early spring, when the seeds fall to earth,

all things are made ready.

This is an image of providing nourishment through

• movement and
  
• tranquility.
  

The superior man takes it as a pattern for the

• nourishment and
  
• cultivation of
  

his character.

• Words are a movement going from within outward.
  
• Eating and drinking are movements from without inward.
  

Both kinds of movement can be modified by tranquility.

For

tranquility

• keeps the words that come out of the mouth from exceeding proper measure, and
  
• keeps the food that goes into the mouth from exceeding its proper measure.
  

Thus character is cultivated.

 

THE LINES

Six in the second place means:

• Turning to the summit for nourishment,
  
• Deviating from the path To seek nourishment from the hill.
  

Continuing to do this brings misfortune.

Normally a person

• either provides his own means of nourishment
  
• or is supported in a proper way by those whose duty and privilege it is to provide for him.
  

If, owing to weakness of spirit,

a man cannot support himself,

a feeling of uneasiness comes over him;

this is because in shirking the proper way of obtaining a living,

he accepts support as a favor from those in higher place.

This is unworthy, for

he is deviating from his true nature.

Kept up indefinitely, this course leads to misfortune.

Six in the third place means:

Turning away from nourishment,

Perseverance brings misfortune.

Do not act thus for ten years.

Nothing serves to further.

He who seeks nourishment that does not nourish

• reels from desire to gratification and
  
• in gratification craves desire.
  

Mad pursuit of pleasure for the satisfaction of the senses

never brings one to the goal.

One should never (ten years is a complete, cycle of time) follow this is path,

for nothing good can come of it.

Six in the fourth place means:

• Turning to the summit For provision of nourishment
  

Brings good fortune.

• Spying about with sharp eyes Like a tiger with insatiable craving.
  

No blame.

• In contrast to the six in the second place, which refers
  
  • to a man bent exclusively on his own advantage,
    
• this line refers
  
  • to one occupying a high position and striving to let his light shine forth.
    

To do this

• he needs helpers ,
  

because

• he cannot attain his lofty aim alone.
  

With the greed of a hungry tiger

he is on the lookout for the right people.

Since he

• is not working for himself but for the good of all,
  
• there is no wrong in such zeal.
  

0 Nine at the top means:

The source of nourishment.

Awareness of danger brings good fortune.

It furthers one to cross the great water.

This describes a sage of the highest order,

from whom emanate all influences that provide nourishment for others.

Such a position brings with it heavy responsibility.

If

• he remains conscious of this fact,
  
• he
  
  • has good fortune and
    
  • may confidently undertake even great and difficult labors,
    

    such as crossing the great water.
    

These undertakings bring general happiness

• for him and
  
• for all others.
  

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

HEXAGRAM 34 – Ta Chuang – The Power of the Great

Above    CHEN        THE AROUSING, THUNDER

Below    CH’IEN    THE CREATIVE, HEAVEN

The great lines, that is, the light, strong lines, are powerful.

Four light lines

• have entered the hexagram from below and
  
• are about to ascend higher.
  

• The upper trigram is Chen, the Arousing;
  
• the lower is Ch’ien, the Creative.
  

• Ch’ien is strong,
  
• Chen produces movement.
  

The union of movement and strength gives the meaning of THE POWER OF THE GREAT.

The hexagram is linked with the second month (March April).

THE JUDGMENT

THE POWER OF THE GREAT.

Perseverance furthers.

The hexagram points to a time when inner worth

• mounts with great force and
  
• comes to power.
  

But its strength has already passed beyond the median line,

hence there is danger that one

• may rely entirely on one’s own power and
  
• forget to ask what is right.
  

There is danger too that, being intent on movement,

we may not wait for the right time.

Therefore the added statement that perseverance furthers.

For that is truly great power

• which does not degenerate into mere force
  
• but remains inwardly united with the fundamental principles of right and of justice.
  

When we understand this point –

namely, that greatness and justice must be indissoluble united –

we understand the true meaning of all that happens in heaven and on earth.

 

THE IMAGE

Thunder in heaven above: The image of THE POWER OF THE GREAT.

Thus the superior man

does not tread upon paths

That do not accord with established order.

Thunder – electrical energy – mounts upward in the spring.

The direction of this movement is in harmony with that of the movement of heaven.

It is therefore a movement in accord with heaven,

producing great power.

However,

true greatness depends on being in harmony with what is right.

Therefore in times of great power

the superior man avoids doing anything

that is not in harmony with the established order.

 

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