JD.Com JD under CEO Qiangdong Liu

JD.Com JD under CEO Qiangdong Liu

 

Hexagram 11 – T’ai – Peace

Above    K’UN        THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH

Below    CH’IEN    THE CREATIVE, HEAVEN

• The Receptive, which moves downward, stands above;
  
• the Creative, which moves upward, is below.
  

Hence their influences meet and are in harmony,

so that all living things bloom and prosper.

This hexagram belongs to the first month (February-March), at which time

the forces of nature prepare the new spring.

 

THE JUDGMENT

PEACE.

• The small departs,
  
• The great approaches.
  

Good fortune.

Success.

This hexagram denotes a time in nature when heaven seems to be on earth.

Heaven has placed itself beneath the earth, and so their powers unite in deep harmony.

Then peace and blessing descend upon all living things.

In the world of man it is a time of social harmony;

• those in high places show favor to the lowly, and
  
• the lowly and inferior in their turn are well disposed toward the highly placed.
  

There is an end to all feuds.

• Inside, at the center, in the key position, is the light principle;
  
• the dark principle is outside.
  

Thus

• the light has a powerful influence, while
  
• the dark is submissive.
  

In this way each receives its due.

• When
  
  • the good elements of society occupy a central position and are in control,
    
  • the evil elements come under their influence and change for the better.
    
• When
  
  • the spirit of heaven rules in man,
    
  • his animal nature also
    
    • comes under its influence and
      
    • takes its appropriate place.
      

The individual lines

• enter the hexagram from below and
  
• leave it again at the top.
  

Here

• the small, weak, and evil elements are about to take their departure, while
  
• the great, strong, and good elements are moving up.
  

This brings good fortune and success.

 

THE IMAGE

Heaven and earth unite: the image Of PEACE.

Thus the ruler

• Divides and
  
• completes
  

the course of heaven and earth;

He

• furthers and regulates the gifts of heaven and earth, And so
  
• aids the people.
  

Heaven and earth are in contact and combine their influences,

producing a time of universal flowering and prosperity.

This stream of energy must be regulated by the ruler of men.

It is done by a process of division.

Thus men

• divide the uniform flow of time into the seasons, according to the succession of natural phenomena, and
  
• mark off infinite space by the points of the compass.
  

In this way

nature in its overwhelming profusion of phenomena is

• bounded and
  
• controlled.
  

On the other hand,

nature must be furthered in her productiveness.

This is done by adjusting the products to

• the right time and
  
• the right place,
  

which increases the natural yield.

This controlling and furthering activity of man in his relation to nature

is the work on nature that rewards him.

 

THE LINES

 

Nine in the third place means:

• No plain not followed by a slope.
  
• No going not followed by a return.
  
• He who remains persevering in danger Is without blame.
  
• Do not complain about this truth;
  

Enjoy the good fortune you still possess.

Everything on earth is subject to change.

Prosperity is followed by decline: this is the eternal law on earth.

Evil can indeed be held in check but not permanently abolished.

It always returns.

This conviction might induce melancholy, but it should not;

it ought only to keep us from falling into illusion when good fortune comes to us.

If we continue mindful of the danger, we remain persevering and make no mistakes.

• As long as a man’s inner nature remains stronger and richer than anything offered by external fortune,
  
• as long as he remains inwardly superior to fate,
  

fortune will not desert him.

 

Six at the top means:

The wall falls back into the moat.

Use no army now.

Make your commands known within your own town.

Perseverance brings humiliation.

The change alluded to in the middle of the hexagram has begun to take place.

The wall of the town sinks back into the moat from which it was dug.

The hour of doom is at hand.

When matters have come to this pass,

we should

• submit to fate and
  
• not try to stave it off by violent resistance.
  

The one recourse left us is to hold our own within our intimate circle.

Should we persevere in trying to resist the evil in the usual way,

• our collapse would only be more complete, and
  
• humiliation would be the result.
  

 

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

 

HEXAGRAM 41 – Sun – Decrease

Above    KEN    KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN

Below    TUI    THE JOYOUS, LAKE

This hexagram represents

• a decrease of the lower trigram
  
• in favor of the upper,
  

because

• the third line, originally strong, has moved up to the top, and
  
• the top line, originally weak, has replaced it. 1
  

• What is below is decreased to the benefit of
  
• what is above.
  

This is out-and-out decrease.

If

• the foundations of a building are decreased in strength and
  
• the upper walls are strengthened,
  

the whole structure loses its stability.

Likewise,

• a decrease in the prosperity of the people
  
• in favor of the government
  

is out-and-out decrease.

And

the entire theme of the hexagram is directed to showing how

this shift of wealth can take place

without causing the sources of wealth in

• the nation and
  
• its lower classes
  

to fail.

 

THE JUDGMENT

DECREASE combined with sincerity

Brings about supreme good fortune

Without blame.

• One may be persevering in this.
  

It furthers one to undertake something.

How is this to be carried out?

• One may use two small bowls for the sacrifice.
  

Decrease does not under all circumstances mean something bad.

Increase and decrease come in their own time.

What matters here is

• to understand the time and
  
• not to try to cover up poverty with empty pretense.
  

If a time of scanty resource brings out an inner truth,

one must not feel ashamed of simplicity.

For simplicity is then the very thing needed to provide inner strength for further undertakings.

Indeed, there need be no concern if the outward beauty of the civilization,

even the elaboration of religious forms,

should have to suffer because of simplicity.

One must draw on the strength of the inner attitude to compensate for what is lacking in externals;

then the power of the content makes up for the simplicity of form.

There is no need of presenting false appearances to God.

Even with slender means, the sentiment of the heart can be expressed. 2

 

THE IMAGE

At the foot of the mountain, the lake: The image of DECREASE.

Thus the superior man

• controls his anger And
  
• restrains his instincts.
  

The lake at the foot of the mountain evaporates.

In this way

it decreases to the benefit of the mountain,

which is enriched by its moisture.

• The mountain stands as the symbol of a stubborn strength that can harden into anger.
  
• The lake is the symbol of unchecked gaiety
  

  that can develop into passionate drives at the expense of the life forces.
  

Therefore decrease is necessary;

• anger must be decreased by keeping still,
  
• the instincts must be curbed by restriction.
  

By this decrease of the lower powers of the psyche,

the higher aspects of the soul are enriched.

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