Vontier VNT under CEO Mark Morelli

Vontier VNT under CEO Mark Morelli

 

HEXAGRAMA 13 – T’ung Jen – Fellowship with Men

Above    CH’IEN    THE CREATIVE, HEAVEN

Below    LI        THE CLINGING, FLAME

The image

• of the upper trigram Ch’ien is heaven, and that
  
• of the lower, Li, is flame.
  

It is the nature of fire to flame up to heaven.

This gives the idea of fellowship.

It is the second line that, by virtue of its central character,

unites the five strong lines around it.

This hexagram forms a complement to Shih, THE ARMY (7).

1. In the latter, danger is within and obedience without –
   

   the character of a warlike army, which, in order to hold together, needs
   

   one strong man among the many who are weak.
   

2. Here, clarity is within and strength without –
   

   the character of a peaceful union of men, which, in order to hold together, needs
   

   one yielding nature among many firm persons.
   

 

THE JUDGMENT

FELLOWSHIP WITH MEN in the open.

Success.

It furthers one to cross the great water.

The perseverance of the superior man furthers.

True fellowship among men must be based upon a concern that is universal.

It is

not the private interests of the individual that create lasting fellowship among men,

but rather the goals of humanity.

That is why it is said that fellowship with men in the open succeeds.

If unity of this kind prevails,

even difficult and dangerous tasks, such as crossing the great water,

can be accomplished.

But in order to bring about this sort of fellowship,

a persevering and enlightened leader is needed –

a man with

• clear, convincing, and inspiring aims and
  
• the strength to carry them out.
  

• (The inner trigram means clarity;
  
• the outer, strength.)
  

 

THE IMAGE

Heaven together with fire: The image of FELLOWSHIP WITH MEN.

Thus the superior man

• organizes the clans And
  
• makes distinctions between things.
  

Heaven

• has the same direction of movement as fire,
  
• yet it is different from fire.
  

Just as

• the luminaries in the sky serve for the systematic division and arrangement of time,
  

so

• human society and all things that really belong together must be organically arranged.
  

Fellowship should not be a mere mingling, of individuals or of things –

that would be chaos, not fellowship.

If fellowship is to lead to order, there must be organization within diversity.

 

THE LINES

 

Nine at the beginning means:

Fellowship with men at the gate.

No blame.

The beginning of union among people should take place before the door.

All are equally close to one another.

• No divergent aims have yet arisen, and
  
• one makes no mistakes.
  

The basic principles of any kind of union must be equally accessible to all concerned.

Secret agreements bring misfortune.

 

0 Six in the second place means:

Fellowship with men in the clan.

Humiliation.

There is danger here of formation of a separate faction on the basis of

• personal and
  
• egotistic interests.
  

Such factions, which are exclusive and,

instead of welcoming all men,

must condemn one group in order to unite the others,

• originate from low motives and therefore
  
• lead in the course of time to humiliation.
  

 

0 Nine in the fifth place means:

Men bound in fellowship

• first weep and lament,
  
• But afterward they laugh.
  

After great struggles they succeed in meeting.

Two people are outwardly separated,

but in their hearts they are united.

They are kept apart by their positions in life.

Many difficulties and obstructions arise between them and cause them grief.

But, remaining true to each other, they allow nothing to separate them, and

although it costs them a severe struggle to overcome the obstacles,

they will succeed.

When they come together their sadness will change to joy.

Confucius says of this:

Life leads the thoughtful man on a path of many windings.

• Now the course is checked,
  
• now it runs straight again.
  
• Here winged thoughts may pour freely forth in words,
  
• There the heavy burden of knowledge must be shut away in silence.
  

But

• when two people are at one in their inmost hearts,
  
  • They shatter even the strength of iron or of bronze.
    

And

• when two people understand each other in their inmost hearts,
  
  • Their words are sweet and strong, like the fragrance of orchids.
    

 

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

 

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,

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