Global-E Online GLBE under CEO Amir Schlachet

Global-E Online GLBE under CEO Amir Schlachet

 

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.

 

Six in the fourth place means:

• Turning to the summit For provision of nourishment
  

Brings good fortune.

• Spying about with sharp eyes Like a tiger with insatiable craving.
  

No blame.

• In contrast to the six in the second place, which refers
  
  • to a man bent exclusively on his own advantage,
    
• this line refers
  
  • to one occupying a high position and striving to let his light shine forth.
    

To do this

• he needs helpers ,
  

because

• he cannot attain his lofty aim alone.
  

With the greed of a hungry tiger

he is on the lookout for the right people.

Since he

• is not working for himself but for the good of all,
  
• there is no wrong in such zeal.
  

 

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.
  

 

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

 

HEXAGRAM 10 – Lu – Treading (Conduct)

Above    CH’IEN    THE CREATIVE, HEAVEN

Below    TUI        THE JOYOUS, LAKE

1. The name of the hexagram means on the one hand the right way of conducting oneself.
   

• Heaven, the father, is above,
  

and

• the lake, the youngest daughter, is below.
  

This shows the difference between high and low, upon which

composure, correct social conduct, depends.

1. On the other hand, the word for the name of the hexagram, TREADING, 1
   

   means literally treading upon something.
   

   The small and cheerful [Tui] treads upon the large and strong [Ch’ien].
   

   The direction of movement of the two primary trigrams is upward.
   

   The fact that the strong treads on the weak is not mentioned in the Book of Changes,
   

   because it is taken for granted.
   

   For the weak to take a stand against the strong is not dangerous here,
   

   because it happens in good humor [Tui] and without presumption,
   

so that

the strong man is not irritated but takes it all in good part.

 

THE JUDGMENT

TREADING.

Treading upon the tail of the tiger.

It does not bite the man.

Success.

The situation is really difficult.

That which is strongest and that which is weakest are close together.

• The weak follows behind the strong and worries it.
  
• The strong, however, acquiesces and does not hurt the weak,
  

because the contact is in good humor and harmless.

In terms of a human situation, one is handling wild, intractable people. In such a case one’s purpose will be achieved if one behaves with decorum. Pleasant manners succeed even with irritable people.

 

THE IMAGE

Heaven above, the lake below: The image Of TREADING.

Thus the superior man

• discriminates between high and low,
  

And thereby

• fortifies the thinking of the people.
  

Heaven and the lake show a difference of elevation that inheres in the natures of the two,

hence

no envy arises.

Among mankind also there are necessarily differences of elevation;

it is impossible to bring about universal equality.

But it is important that differences in social rank should not be arbitrary and unjust,

for if this occurs, envy and class struggle are the inevitable consequences.

• If, on the other hand, external differences in rank correspond with differences in inner worth,
  

and

• if inner worth forms the criterion of external rank,
  

people acquiesce and order reigns in society.

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