Pacific Biosciences of California PACB under CEO Christian Henry

Pacific Biosciences of California PACB under CEO Christian Henry

 

HEXAGRAM 50 – Ting – The Caldron

Above    LI    THE CLINGING, FIRE

Below    SUN    THE GENTLE, WIND, WOOD

1. The six lines construct the image of Ting, THE CALDRON;
   

• at the bottom are the legs,
  
• over them the belly,
  
• then come the ears (handles), and
  
• at the top the carrying rings.
  

At the same time,

1. the image suggests the idea of nourishment.
   

The Ting, cast of bronze, was the vessel that

held the cooked viands

• in the temple of the ancestors and
  
• at banquets.
  

The head of the family served the food

• from the Ting
  
• into the bowls of the guests.1
  

THE WELL (48) likewise has the secondary meaning of

giving nourishment, but rather more in relation to the people.

The Ting, as a utensil pertaining to a refined civilization, suggests the

• fostering and nourishing of able men, which
  
• redounded to the benefit of the state. (2)
  

• This hexagram and
  
• THE WELL
  

are the only two in the Book of Changes that represent

• concrete,
  
• man-made objects.
  

Yet here too the thought has its abstract connotation.

• Sun, below, is wood and wind;
  
• Li, above, is flame.
  

Thus together they stand for the flame kindled by wood and wind,

which likewise suggests the idea of preparing food.

 

THE JUDGMENT

THE CALDRON.

Supreme good fortune.

Success.

While

THE WELL relates to

• the social foundation of our life, and
  
• this foundation is likened to
  
• the water that serves to nourish growing wood,
  

the present hexagram refers to

• the cultural superstructure of society.
  

Here

• it is the wood that serves as nourishment for the flame, the spirit.
  

All that is visible must

• grow beyond itself,
  
• extend into the realm of the invisible.
  

Thereby

it

• receives its true consecration and clarity and
  
• takes firm root in the cosmic order.
  

Here

we see civilization as it reaches its culmination in religion.

The Ting serves in offering sacrifice to God.

The highest earthly values must be sacrificed to the divine.

But

the truly divine does not manifest itself apart from man.

The supreme revelation of God appears in

• prophets and
  
• holy men.
  

To venerate them is true veneration of God.

The will of God, as revealed through them, should be accepted in humility;

• this brings inner enlightenment and true understanding of the world, and
  
• this leads to great good fortune and success.
  

 

THE IMAGE

Fire over wood: The image of THE CALDRON.

Thus

the superior man

consolidates his fate

By making his position correct.

The fate of fire depends on wood;

• as long as there is wood below,
  
• the fire burns above.
  

It is the same in human life;

• there is in man likewise a fate that
  
• lends power to his life.
  

And if

• he succeeds in assigning the right place
  
  • to life and
    
  • to fate,
    

thus bringing the two into harmony,

• he puts his fate on a firm footing.
  

These words contain hints about the fostering of life

as handed on by oral tradition in the secret teachings of Chinese yoga,

 

THE LINES

 

Six at the beginning means:

A Ting with legs upturned.

Furthers removal of stagnating stuff.

One takes a concubine for the sake of her son.

No blame.

• If a Ting is turned upside down before being used,
  
• no harm is done –
  

on the contrary,

• this clears it of refuse.
  

A concubine’s position is lowly,

but because she has a son

she comes to be honored.

These two metaphors express the idea that in a highly developed civilization,

such as that indicated by this hexagram,

every person of good will can in some way or other succeed.

No matter how lowly he may be, provided

• he is ready to purify himself,
  
• he is accepted.
  
• He attains a station in which
  
• he can prove himself fruitful in accomplishment, and as a result
  
• he gains recognition.
  

 

Nine in the fourth place means:

The legs of the Ting are broken.

• The prince’s meal is spilled And
  
• his person is soiled.
  

Misfortune.

A man has a difficult and responsible task to which he is not adequate.

Moreover,

he

• does not devote himself to it with all his strength but
  
• goes about with inferior people;
  

therefore

the execution of the work fails.

In this way he also incurs personal opprobrium.

Confucius says about this line:

• “Weak character coupled with honored place,
  
• meager knowledge with large plans,
  
• limited powers with heavy responsibility,
  

will seldom escape disaster.”

 

Nine at the top means:

The Ting has rings of jade.

Great good fortune.

Nothing that would not act to further.

In the preceding line

• the carrying rings are described as golden, to denote their strength;
  

here

• they are said to be of jade.
  

Jade is notable for its combination of hardness with soft luster.

This counsel, in relation to the man who is open to it,

• works greatly to his advantage.
  

Here

• the counsel is described in relation to the sage who imparts it.
  

In imparting it,

• he will be mild and pure, like precious jade.
  

Thus

the work finds favor in the eyes of the Deity, who

• dispenses great good fortune, and
  
• becomes pleasing to men,
  

wherefore all goes well.

 

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

 

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.

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