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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
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.
MOVING HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 08 – Pi – Holding Together [Union]
Above K’AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER
Below K’UN THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH
The waters on the surface of the earth flow together wherever they can,
as for example in the ocean,
where all the rivers come together.
Symbolically this connotes
- holding together and
- the laws that regulate it.
The same idea is suggested by the fact that
all the lines of the hexagram except the fifth, the place of the ruler, are yielding.
The yielding lines hold together because they are influenced by
- a man of strong will in the leading position,
- a man who is their center of union.
Moreover, this strong and guiding personality in turn holds together with the others,
finding in them the complement of his own nature.
THE JUDGMENT
HOLDING TOGETHER brings good fortune.
Inquire of the oracle once again
Whether you possess sublimity, constancy, and perseverance;
Then there is no blame.
Those who are uncertain gradually join.
Whoever comes too late
Meets with misfortune.
What is required is that we unite with others, in order that
all may complement and aid one another through holding together.
But such holding together calls for a central figure around whom other persons may unite.
To become a center of influence holding people together is a
- grave matter and
- fraught with great responsibility.
It requires
- greatness of spirit,
- consistency, and
- strength.
Therefore let him who wishes to gather others about him ask himself whether he is equal to the undertaking,
for anyone attempting the task without a real calling for it
only makes confusion worse than if no union at all had taken place.
But when there is a real rallying point,
those who at first are hesitant or uncertain gradually come in of their own accord.
Late-comers must suffer the consequences, for in holding together the question of the right time is also important.
Relationships are formed and firmly established according to definite inner laws.
Common experiences strengthen these ties, and he who comes too late to share in these basic experiences must suffer for it if, as a straggler, he finds the door locked.
If a man
- has recognized the necessity for union and
- does not feel strong enough to function as the center,
it is his duty to become a member of some other organic fellowship.
THE IMAGE
On the earth is water: The image Of HOLDING TOGETHER.
Thus the kings of antiquity
- Bestowed the different states as fiefs And
- cultivated friendly relations With the feudal lords.
Water
- fills up all the empty places on the earth and
- clings fast to it.
The social organization of ancient China was based on this principle of the holding together of
- dependents and
- rulers.
Water flows to unite with water, because all parts of it are subject to the same laws.
So too should human society hold together through a community of interests that
allows each individual to feel himself a member of a whole.
The central power of a social organization must see to it that
every member finds that his true interest lies in holding together with it,
as was the case in the paternal relationship between king and vassals in ancient China.
