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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 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.
  

0 Nine at the top means:

Contemplation of his life.

The superior man is without blame.

• While the preceding line represents a man who contemplates himself,
  
• here in the highest place everything that is personal, related to the ego, is excluded.
  

The picture is that of a sage who stands outside the affairs of the world.

Liberated from his ego, he

• contemplates the laws of life and so
  
• realizes that knowing how to become free of blame is the highest good.
  

MOVING HEXAGRAM

HEXAGRAM 45 – Ts’ui – Gathering Together (Massing)

Above    Tui    THE JOYOUS, LAKE

Below    K’UN    THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH

This hexagram is related in form and meaning to Pi, HOLDING TOGETHER (8).

• In the latter, water is over the earth;
  
• here a lake is over the earth.
  

But since the lake is a place where water collects,

the idea of gathering together is even more strongly expressed here than in the other hexagram.

The same idea also arises from the fact that

• in the present case it is two strong lines (the fourth and the fifth) that
  
  • bring about the gathering together,
    

whereas

• in the former case one strong line (the fifth)
  
  • stands in the midst of weak lines.
    

THE JUDGMENT

GATHERING TOGETHER.

Success.

The king approaches his temple.

It furthers one to see the great man.

This brings success.

Perseverance furthers.

To bring great offerings creates good fortune.

It furthers one to undertake something,

The gathering together of people in large communities is

• either a natural occurrence, as in the case of the family,
  
• or an artificial one, as in the case of the state.
  

The family gathers about the father as its head.

The perpetuation of this gathering in groups is achieved through the sacrifice to the ancestors,

at which the whole clan is gathered together.

Through the collective piety of the living members of the family,

• the ancestors become so integrated in the spiritual life of the family that
  
• it cannot be dispersed or dissolved.
  

1. Where men are to be gathered together,
   

   religious forces are needed.
   

2. But there must also be a human leader to serve as the center of the group.
   

   In order to be able to bring others together,
   

this leader must first of all be collected within himself.

Only collective moral force can unite the world.

• Such great times of unification will leave great achievements behind them.
  

  This is the significance of the great offerings that are made.
  

• In the secular sphere likewise there is need of great deeds
  

  in the time of GATHERING TOGETHER.
  

THE IMAGE

Over the earth, the lake: The image Of GATHERING TOGETHER.

Thus the superior man renews his weapons In order to meet the unforeseen.

If the water in the lake gathers until it rises above the earth,

• there is danger of a break-through.
  

  Precautions must be taken to prevent this.
  

Similarly

• where men gather together in great numbers, strife is likely to arise;
  
• where possessions are collected, robbery is likely to occur.
  

Thus in the time of GATHERING TOGETHER

we must arm promptly to ward off the unexpected.

Human woes usually come as a result of unexpected events against which we are not forearmed.

If we are prepared, they can be prevented.

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