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HEXAGRAM 17 – Sui – Following
Above TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE
Below CHEN THE AROUSING, THUNDER
The trigram Tui, the Joyous, whose attribute is gladness, is above;
Chen, the Arousing, which has the attribute of movement, is below.
Joy in movement induces following.
The Joyous is the youngest daughter, while
the Arousing is the eldest son.
An older man
- defers to a young girl and
- shows her consideration.
By this he moves her to follow him.
THE JUDGMENT
FOLLOWING has supreme success.
Perseverance furthers.
No blame.
In order to obtain a following one must first know how to adapt oneself.
If a man would rule he must first learn to serve,
for only in this way does he secure from those below him the joyous assent
that is necessary if they are to follow him.
If he has to obtain a following
- by force or cunning,
- by conspiracy or
- by creating factions,
he invariably arouses resistance, which obstructs willing adherence.
But even joyous movement can lead to evil consequences,
hence the added stipulation,
“Perseverance furthers”-that is, consistency in doing right – together with “No blame.”
- Just as we should not ask others to follow us unless this condition is fulfilled,
- so it is only under this condition that we can in turn follow others without coming to harm.
The thought of obtaining a following through adaptation to the demands of the time is a great and significant idea;
this is why the appended judgment is so favorable.
THE IMAGE
Thunder in the middle of the lake: The image of FOLLOWING.
Thus the superior man at nightfall
Goes indoors for rest and recuperation.
In the autumn electricity withdraws into the earth again and rests.
Here it is the thunder in the middle of the lake that serves as the image –
- thunder in its winter rest,
- not thunder in motion.
The idea of following in the sense of adaptation to the demands of the time
grows out of this image.
Thunder in the middle of the lake indicates times of
- darkness and
- rest.
Similarly, a superior man, after being tirelessly active all day,
allows himself rest and recuperation at night.
No situation can become favorable until one
- is able to adapt to it and
- does not wear himself out with mistaken resistance.
THE LINES
Six in the second place means:
If one clings to the little boy,
One loses the strong man.
In friendships and close relationships an individual must make a careful choice.
- He surrounds himself either with good or with bad company;
- he cannot have both at once.
If
- he throws himself away on unworthy friends
- he loses connection with people of intellectual power who could further him in the good.
Nine in the fourth place means:
Following creates success.
Perseverance brings misfortune.
To go one’s way with sincerity brings clarity.
How could there be blame in this?
It often happens,
when
a man exerts a certain amount of influence, that
he obtains a following by condescension toward inferiors.
But the people who attach themselves to him are not honest in their intentions.
They
- seek personal advantage and
- try to make themselves indispensable through flattery and subservience.
If one
- becomes accustomed to such satellites and
- cannot do without them,
it brings misfortune.
Only when
a man is
- completely free from his ego, and
- intent, by conviction, upon what is right and essential,
does he
- acquire the clarity that enables him to see through such people, and
- become free of blame.
Six at the top means:
He
- meets with firm allegiance And
- is still further bound.
The king introduces him To the Western Mountain.
This refers to a man, an exalted sage,
who has already put the turmoil of the world behind him.
But a follower appears who
- understands him and
- is not to be put off.
So the sage
- comes back into the world and
- aids the other in his work.
Thus there develops an eternal tie between the two.
The allegory is chosen from the annals of the Chou dynasty.
The rulers of this dynasty honored men who had served them well
by awarding them a place in the royal family’s temple of ancestors on the Western Mountain.
In this way they were regarded as sharing in the destiny of the ruling family.
MOVING HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 61 – Chung Fu – Inner Truth
Above SUN THE GENTLE, WIND
Below TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE
The wind
- blows over the lake and
- stirs the surface of the water.
Thus visible effects of the invisible manifest themselves.
The hexagram consists of
- firm lines above and below,
while
- it is open in the center.
This indicates
- a heart free of prejudices,
and therefore
- open to truth.
On the other hand,
each of the two trigrams has a firm line in the middle;
this indicates
- the force of inner truth in the influences they represent.
The attributes of the two trigrams are:
- above, gentleness, forbearance toward inferiors;
- below, Joyousness in obeying superiors.
Such conditions
- create the basis of a mutual confidence
that
- makes achievements possible.
The character fu (“truth”) is actually the picture of
a bird’s foot over a fledgling.
It suggests the idea of brooding.
An egg is hollow.
The light-giving power must work to quicken it from outside,
but
there must be a germ of life within,
if life is to be awakened.
Far-reaching speculations can be linked with these ideas.
THE JUDGMENT
INNER TRUTH. Pigs and fishes.
Good fortune.
It furthers one to cross the great Water.
Perseverance furthers.
Pigs and fishes are
- the least intelligent of all animals
- and therefore
- the most difficult to influence.
The force of inner truth must grow great indeed
before its influence can extend to such creatures.
In dealing with persons
- as intractable and
- as difficult to influence
- as a pig or a fish,
the whole secret of success depends
- on finding the right way of approach.
One must first
- rid oneself of all prejudice and, so to speak,
- let the psyche of the other person act on one without restraint.
Then
one will
- establish contact with him,
- understand and gain power over him.
When
a door has thus been opened,
the force of one’s personality will influence him.
If in this way
- one finds no obstacles insurmountable,
-
one
-
can undertake even the most dangerous things,
such as crossing the great water, and
- succeed.
-
But
it is important to understand
upon what the force of inner truth depends.
This force is not identical with
- simple intimacy or
- a secret bond.
Close ties may exist also among thieves;
it is true that such a bond acts as a force
- but, since it is not invincible,
- it does not bring good fortune.
All association on the basis of common interests
holds only up to a certain point.
Where the community of interest ceases,
- the holding together ceases also, and
- the closest friendship often changes into hate.
Only when
- the bond is based on what is right, on steadfastness,
- will it remain so firm that it triumphs over everything.
THE IMAGE
Wind over lake: the image of INNER TRUTH.
Thus
the superior man
discusses criminal cases
In order to delay executions.
Wind stirs water by penetrating it.
Thus
the superior man,
when
obliged to judge the mistakes of men,
- tries to penetrate their minds with understanding,
- in order to gain a sympathetic appreciation of the circumstances.
In ancient China,
the entire administration of justice was guided by this principle.
A deep understanding that knows how to pardon
was considered the highest form of justice.
This system was not without success,
for its aim was to make so strong a moral impression
that there was no reason to fear abuse of such mildness.
For it sprang not
- from weakness
but
- from a superior clarity.
