Outcome of Dunkin’ Donuts changing name to Dunkin’

 

 

HEXAGRAM 20 – Kuan – Contemplation (View)

Above    SUN    THE GENTLE, WIND

Below    K’UN    THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH

A slight variation of tonal stress gives the Chinese name for this hexagram a double meaning.

It means both

• contemplating and
  
• being seen, in the sense of being an example.
  

These ideas are suggested by the fact that the hexagram can be understood as picturing a type of tower characteristic of ancient China.

• A tower of this kind commanded a wide view of the country;
  

  at the same time, when situated on a mountain,
  

• it became a landmark that could be seen for miles around.
  

Thus the hexagram shows a ruler

• who contemplates the law of heaven above him and the ways of the people below, and
  
• who, by means of good government, sets a lofty example to the masses.
  

This hexagram is linked with the eighth month (September – October).

• The light-giving power retreats and
  
• the dark power is again on the increase.
  

However, this aspect is not material in the interpretation of the hexagram as a whole.

THE JUDGMENT

CONTEMPLATION.

• The ablution has been made,
  

But

• not yet the offering.
  

Full of trust they look up to him.

The sacrificial ritual in China began with

• an ablution and
  
• a libation by which the Deity was invoked,
  

after which the sacrifice was offered.

The moment of time between these two ceremonies is the most sacred of all,

the moment of deepest inner concentration.

If piety is

• sincere and
  
• expressive of real faith,
  

the contemplation of it has a transforming and awe-inspiring effect

on those who witness it.

Thus also in nature

a holy seriousness is to be seen in the fact that

natural occurrences are uniformly subject to law.

Contemplation of the divine meaning underlying the workings of the universe gives

to the man who is called upon to influence others

the means of producing like effects.

This requires that power of inner concentration which religious contemplation

develops in great men strong in faith.

• It enables them to apprehend the mysterious and divine laws of life, and
  

  by means of profoundest inner concentration
  

• they give expression to these laws in their own persons.
  

Thus

a hidden spiritual power emanates from them,

influencing and dominating others

without their being aware of how it happens.

THE IMAGE

The wind blows over the earth: The image of CONTEMPLATION.

Thus the kings of old

• visited the regions of the world,
  
• Contemplated the people, And
  
• gave them instruction.
  

When the wind blows over the earth it

• goes far and wide and
  
• the grass must bend to its power.
  

These two occurrences find confirmation in the hexagram.

The two images are used to symbolize a practice of the kings of old;

1. in making regular journeys the ruler could, in the first place,
   

   survey his realm and
   

   make certain that none of the existing usages of the people escaped notice;
   

2. in the second,
   

   he could exert influence through which such customs as were unsuitable
   

   could be changed.
   

All of this points to the power possessed by a superior personality.

• On the one hand, such a man
  
  • will have a view of the real sentiments of the great mass of humanity and therefore
    
  • cannot be deceived;
    
• on the other, he
  
  • will impress the people so profoundly,
    
    • by his mere existence and
      
    • by the impact of his personality,
      

    that they will be swayed by him as the grass by the wind.
    

THE LINES

Six in the third place means:

Contemplation of my life

Decides the choice Between

• advance and
  
• retreat.
  

This is the place of transition.

We

• no longer look outward to receive pictures that are more or less limited and confused,
  
• but direct our contemplation upon ourselves in order to find a guideline for our decisions.
  

This self-contemplation means the overcoming of naive egotism

in the person who sees everything solely from his own standpoint.

He begins to reflect and in this way acquires objectivity.

However,

• self-knowledge does not mean preoccupation with one’s own thoughts; rather,
  
• it means concern about the effects one creates.
  

It is only the effects our lives produce that give us the right to judge

whether what we have done means progress or regression.

Six in the fourth place means:

Contemplation of the light of the kingdom.

It furthers one to exert influence as the guest of a king.

This describes a man who understands the secrets

by which a kingdom can be made to flourish.

Such a man must be given an authoritative position, in which he can exert influence.

He should be, so to speak, a guest – that is,

• he should be honored and allowed to act independently, and
  
• should not be used as a tool.
  

MOVING HEXAGRAM

HEXAGRAM 33 – Tun – Retreat

Above    CHIEN     THE CREATIVE, HEAVEN

Below    KEN     KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN

The power of the dark is ascending.

The light retreats to security, so that

the dark cannot encroach upon it.

This retreat is a matter

• not of man’s will
  
• but of natural law.
  

Therefore in this case withdrawal is proper;

it is the correct way to behave

in order not to exhaust one’s forces. 1

In the calendar this hexagram is linked with the sixth month (July-August), in which

the forces of winter are already showing their influence.

THE JUDGMENT

RETREAT. Success.

In what is small, perseverance furthers.

Conditions are such that the hostile forces favored by the time are advancing.

In this case

• retreat is the right course, and
  
• it is through retreat that success is achieved.
  

But success consists in being able to carry out the retreat correctly.

Retreat is not to be confused with flight.

• Flight means saving oneself under any circumstances whereas
  
• retreat is a sign of strength.
  

We must be careful not to miss the right moment while

we are in full possession of power and position.

Then we shall be able

• to interpret the signs of the time
  
  • before it is too late and
    
• to prepare for provisional retreat
  
  • instead of being drawn into a desperate life-and-death struggle.
    

Thus

• we do not simply abandon the field to the opponent;
  
• we make it difficult for him to advance
  

  by showing perseverance in single acts of resistance.
  

In this way

we prepare, while retreating, for the counter – movement.

Understanding the laws of a constructive retreat of this sort is not easy.

The meaning that lies hidden in such a time is important.

THE IMAGE

Mountain under heaven: the image of RETREAT.

Thus the superior man

keeps the inferior man at a distance,

Not angrily but with reserve.

The mountain rises up under heaven, but owing to its nature

it finally comes to a stop.

Heaven on the other hand

• retreats upward before it into the distance and
  
• remains out of reach.
  

This symbolizes the behavior of the superior man toward a climbing inferior;

he retreats into his own thoughts as the inferior man comes forward.

He does not hate him,

for hatred is a form of subjective involvement

by which we are bound to the hated object.

The superior man shows strength (heaven) in that

he brings the inferior man to a standstill (mountain)

by his dignified reserve.

 

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