ICL Group Ltd ICL under CEO Raviv Zoller

ICL Group Ltd ICL under CEO Raviv Zoller

 

HEXAGRAM 27 – I – The Corners of the Mouth (Providing Nourishment)

Above    KEN    KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN

Below    CHEN    THE AROUSING, THUNDER

This hexagram is a picture of an open mouth;

• above and below are the firm lines of the lips, and
  
• between them the opening.
  

Starting with the mouth,

through which we take food for nourishment,

the thought leads to nourishment itself.

Nourishment

• of oneself, specifically of the body, is represented in the three lower lines,
  
• while the three upper lines represent nourishment and care of others, in a higher, spiritual sense.
  

 

THE JUDGMENT

THE CORNERS OF THE MOUTH.

Perseverance brings good fortune.

Pay heed

• to the providing of nourishment And
  
• to what a man seeks To fill his own mouth with.
  

In bestowing care and nourishment, it is important

• that the right people should be taken care of and
  
• that we should attend to our own nourishment in the right way.
  

If

• we wish to know what anyone is like,
  
• we have only to observe
  
  • on whom he bestows his care and
    
  • what sides of his own nature he cultivates and nourishes.
    

Nature nourishes all creatures.

The great man fosters and takes care of superior men,

in order to take care of all men through them.

Mencius says about this:

If

• we wish to know whether anyone is superior or not,
  
• we need only observe what part of his being he regards as especially important.
  

The body has

• superior and inferior,
  
• important and unimportant parts.
  

We

• must not injure important parts for the sake of the unimportant,
  
• nor must we injure the superior parts for the sake of the inferior.
  

• He who cultivates the inferior parts of his nature is an inferior man.
  
• He who cultivates the superior parts of his nature is a superior man. 1
  

 

THE IMAGE

At the foot of the mountain, thunder:

The image of PROVIDING NOURISHMENT.

Thus the superior man is

• careful of his words And
  
• temperate in eating and drinking.
  

“God comes forth in the sign of the Arousing” 2:

when in the spring the life forces stir again,

all things come into being anew.

“He brings to perfection in the sign of Keeping Still”:

thus

in the early spring, when the seeds fall to earth,

all things are made ready.

This is an image of providing nourishment through

• movement and
  
• tranquility.
  

The superior man takes it as a pattern for the

• nourishment and
  
• cultivation of
  

his character.

• Words are a movement going from within outward.
  
• Eating and drinking are movements from without inward.
  

Both kinds of movement can be modified by tranquility.

For

tranquility

• keeps the words that come out of the mouth from exceeding proper measure, and
  
• keeps the food that goes into the mouth from exceeding its proper measure.
  

Thus character is cultivated.

 

THE LINES

 

Six in the second place means:

• Turning to the summit for nourishment,
  
• Deviating from the path To seek nourishment from the hill.
  

Continuing to do this brings misfortune.

Normally a person

• either provides his own means of nourishment
  
• or is supported in a proper way by those whose duty and privilege it is to provide for him.
  

If, owing to weakness of spirit,

a man cannot support himself,

a feeling of uneasiness comes over him;

this is because in shirking the proper way of obtaining a living,

he accepts support as a favor from those in higher place.

This is unworthy, for

he is deviating from his true nature.

Kept up indefinitely, this course leads to misfortune.

 

0 Six in the fifth place means:

Turning away from the path.

To remain persevering brings good fortune.

One should not cross the great water.

A man may be conscious of a deficiency in himself.

• He should be undertaking the nourishment of the people, but
  
• he has not the strength to do it.
  

Thus

he must

• turn from his accustomed path and
  
• beg counsel and help from a man who is spiritually his superior but undistinguished outwardly.
  

If he maintains this attitude of mind perseveringly,

success and good fortune are his.

But

• he must remain aware of his dependence.
  
• He must not put his own person forward nor attempt great labors,
  

  such as crossing the great water.
  

 

0 Nine at the top means:

The source of nourishment.

Awareness of danger brings good fortune.

It furthers one to cross the great water.

This describes a sage of the highest order,

from whom emanate all influences that provide nourishment for others.

Such a position brings with it heavy responsibility.

If

• he remains conscious of this fact,
  
• he
  
  • has good fortune and
    
  • may confidently undertake even great and difficult labors,
    

    such as crossing the great water.
    

These undertakings bring general happiness

• for him and
  
• for all others.
  

 

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

 

HEXAGRAM 60 – Chieh – Limitation

Above    K’AN    THE ABYSMAL, WATER

Below    TUI    THE JOYOUS, LAKE

• A lake occupies a limited space.
  

When more water comes into it,

• it overflows.
  

Therefore

limits must be set for the water.

The image shows

• water below and
  
• water above,
  
• with the firmament between them as a limit.
  

The Chinese word for limitation really

denotes the joints that divide a bamboo stalk.

• In relation to ordinary life
  
  • it means the thrift that sets fixed limits upon expenditures.
    
• In relation to the moral sphere
  
  • it means the fixed limits that the superior man sets upon his actions –
    

    the limits of loyalty and disinterestedness.
    

 

THE JUDGMENT

LIMITATION.

Success.

Galling limitation must not be persevered in.

• Limitations are troublesome,
  

but

• they are effective.
  

If

• we live economically in normal times,
  
• we are prepared for times of want.
  

To be sparing saves us from humiliation.

Limitations are also indispensable in the regulation of world conditions.

In nature there are fixed limits for

• summer and winter,
  
• day and night, and
  

these limits give the year its meaning.

In the same way,

economy,

by setting fixed limits upon expenditures,

acts to

• preserve property and
  
• prevent injury to the people.
  

But in limitation

we must observe due measure.

• If a man should seek to impose galling limitations upon his own nature,
  
  • it would be injurious.
    

And

• if he should go too far in imposing limitations on others,
  
  • they would rebel.
    

Therefore

it is necessary to set limits even upon limitations

 

THE IMAGE

Water over lake: the image of LIMITATION.

Thus

the superior man

• Creates number and measure, And
  
• examines the nature of virtue and correct conduct.
  

• A lake is something limited.
  
• Water is inexhaustible.
  

A lake

• can contain only a definite amount of the infinite quantity of water;
  
• this is its peculiarity.
  

In human life too

the individual achieves significance through

• discrimination and
  
• the setting of limits.
  

Therefore

what concerns us here is

the problem of clearly defining these discriminations,

which are, so to speak,

• the backbone of morality.
  

• Unlimited possibilities are not suited to man;
  
• if
  
• they existed,
  
• his life would only dissolve in the boundless.
  

To become strong,

a man’s life needs the limitations

• ordained by duty and
  
• voluntarily accepted.
  

The individual attains significance as a free spirit only

• by surrounding himself with these limitations and
  
• by determining for himself what his duty is.
  

 

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