HEXAGRAM 19: ORIGINAL, INTERPRETATION
AND CASES
HEXAGRAM 19 – Lin -
Approach
Above K'UN THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH
Below TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE
The Chinese word Lin has a range of meanings
that is not exhausted by any single word of another language.
The ancient explanations in the Book of Changes give as its
1. first meaning, "becoming great."
· What becomes great are the two strong lines growing into the hexagram from below;
· the light-giving power expands with them.
2. The meaning is then further extended to include the concept of approach,
especially the approach of
· what is strong and highly placed
· in relation to what is lower.
3. Finally the meaning includes
· the attitude of condescension of a man in high position toward the people,
· and in general the setting to work on affairs.
This hexagram is linked with the twelfth month (January-February),
when, after the winter solstice,
the light power begins to ascend again.
THE JUDGMENT
APPROACH has supreme success.
Perseverance furthers.
When the eighth month comes,
There will be misfortune.
The hexagram as a whole points to a time of joyous, hopeful progress.
Spring is approaching.
Joy and forbearance bring high and low nearer together.
Success is certain.
But we must work with determination and perseverance
to make full use of the propitiousness of the time.
And one thing more: spring does not last forever.
In the eighth month the aspects are reversed.
Then only two strong, light lines are left; these
·
do not advance but
·
are in retreat (see next hexagram).
We must take heed of this change in good time.
If
·
we meet evil before it becomes reality –
before it has even begun to stir –
·
we can master it.
THE IMAGE
The earth above the lake: The image of APPROACH.
Thus the superior man
·
is inexhaustible In his will to teach, And
·
without limits In his tolerance and protection
of the people.
The earth borders upon the lake from above 1.
This
symbolizes the approach and condescension of the man of higher position
to those beneath him.
The two parts of the image indicate what his attitude toward these people will be.
·
Just as the lake is inexhaustible in depth,
o so the sage is inexhaustible in
his readiness to teach mankind,
and
·
just as the earth is boundlessly wide, sustaining and caring for all
creatures on it,
o so the sage sustains and cares for
all people and excludes no part of humanity.
THE LINES
0 Nine at the beginning means:
Joint approach.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
The good begins to prevail and to find response in influential circles.
This in turn is an incentive to men of ability.
It is well to join this upward trend, but
·
we must not let ourselves be carried away by the current of the time;
·
we must adhere perseveringly to what is right.
This brings good fortune.
0 Nine in the second place
means:
Joint approach.
Good fortune.
Everything furthers.
·
When the stimulus to approach comes from a high place, and
·
when a man has the inner strength and consistency that need no
admonition,
good fortune will ensue.
Nor need the future cause any concern.
He is well aware
·
that everything earthly is transitory, and
·
that a descent follows upon every rise,
but need
not be confused by this universal law of fate.
Everything serves to further.
Therefore
he will
travel the paths of life
·
swiftly,
·
honestly, and
·
valiantly.
Six in the third place means:
Comfortable approach.
Nothing that would further.
If
·
one is induced to grieve over it,
·
One becomes free of blame.
Things are going well for a man:
he achieves power and influence.
But in this lies the danger that he
· may relax, and confident of his position,
· allow the easygoing, careless mood to show itself in his dealings with other people.
This would inevitably be harmful.
But there is possibility of a change of mood.
If
·
he regrets his mistaken attitude and feels the responsibility of an
influential position,
·
he frees himself of faults.
Six in the fourth place means:
Complete approach.
No blame.
While
· the three lower lines indicate rise to power and influence,
· the three upper lines show the attitude of persons in higher position
toward those of lower rank for whom they procure influence.
Here is shown
· the open-minded approach of a person of high rank to
· a man of ability whom he draws into his own circle, regardless of class prejudice.
This is very favorable.
Six in the fifth place means:
Wise approach.
This is right for a great prince.
Good fortune.
A prince,
or anyone in a leading position, must have
the wisdom to attract to himself people of ability who are expert in directing affairs.
His wisdom
consists both
·
in selecting the right people and
·
in allowing those chosen to have a free hand without interference from
him.
For only
through such self-restraint will he find
the experts needed to satisfy all of his requirements.
Six at the top means:
Greathearted approach.
Good fortune.
No blame.
A sage
· who has put the world behind him and
· who in spirit has already withdrawn from life may, under certain circumstances,
decide
· to return once more to the here and now and
· to approach other men.
This means great good fortune for the men whom he teaches and helps.
And for him this greathearted humbling of himself is blameless.
1. [See the two trigrams.]
19 APPROACH
–
THE CEO – MANAGING THE APPROACHING SUCCESS
AND THE APPROACHING FAILURE
MANAGERIAL
ISSUE:
Hexagram 19 focuses on the CEO’s managerial
efforts to deal with the economic cycles - the approaching boom as well as with
the approaching bust that will surely follow.
As the cycle of economic expansion approaches bringing with it greater
profitability for the corporation, increases in revenues are assured. However, the economic expansion will
eventually and inevitably turn into an economic contraction bringing with it
decreases in revenues.
MANAGERIAL
LESSON:
The Superior CEO prepares for the worst
during the times of the best. When the
cycle of economic expansion approaches, the CEO must:
1)
Get the most out of the expansion cycle:
a.
Realize it is Heaven sent – there are no geniuses
in a bull market.
b.
Be determined and persevering in making the best of
these Heaven sent times.
c.
Hire the best employees.
d.
Be condescending towards his employees:
·
Give them free reign to do their work.
·
Be splendid with the rewards for meritorious
achievements.
e.
Work very hard to make the most of this 7 fat cows period.
f.
Keep in mind at all times the boom
times will be followed by the bust times.
2)
Prepare the corporation for the inevitable
“approaching” future economic recession.
All cycles, including the economic ones,
consist of expansions and contractions, with ups and downs following each other
in periods of sevens. That is why, the I
Ching warns the CEO to be careful because after the seventh period there will
be a downturn in the economic cycle. The
CEO, who prepares during the seven fat cows’ period has nothing to fear during
the seven thin cows’ period.
The I Ching
says: “If we meet evil before it becomes reality-before it has even begun to
stir-we can master it”.
Here is
beauty and wisdom from the I Ching to the CEO:
THE IMAGE
The earth above the lake: The image of
APPROACH.
Thus the
superior man is inexhaustible
§ In his will
to teach, And (without limits)
§ In his
tolerance and protection of the people.
The earth borders upon the lake from above
§ This
symbolizes the
o
approach and
o
condescension of
§ the man of
higher position to
o
those beneath him.
§ The two
parts of the image indicate what his
attitude
toward these people will be.
o Just as the lake is inexhaustible in depth,
§ so the sage is inexhaustible in his readiness to
teach mankind, and
o just as the earth is boundlessly wide, sustaining
and caring for all creatures on it,
§ so the sage sustains and cares for all people and
excludes no part of humanity.
INVESTMENT ADVICE:
In general terms, this is the Hexagram of
Larry Ellison of Oracle accumulating wealth during the boom to be able to buy
out those corporations that will not make it during the “Approaching” crash.
For the investor, the Approach is in
general a favorable Time-Space to invest.
By itself (no lines) the Hexagram is
positive in the beginning but warns the CEO of the future difficulties when the
counter cycle begins.
APPROACH has supreme success.
Perseverance furthers.
When the eighth month comes,
There will be misfortune.
The hexagram as a whole
points to a time of joyous, hopeful progress. Spring is approaching. Joy and forbearance bring high and low nearer
together. Success is certain. But we must work with determination and
perseverance to make full use of the propitiousness of the time. And one thing more: spring does not last
forever. In the eighth month the aspects
are reversed. Then only two strong,
light lines are left; these do not advance but are in retreat (see next
hexagram). We must take heed of this
change in good time. If we meet evil
before it becomes reality - before it has even begun to stir - we can master it.
The lines are very favorable since four out
of the six lines point to Good Fortune.
The following cases are those of
corporations under the Approach Time-Space.
·
Citrix Systems, Inc. CTXS under CEO Mark B. Templeton
·
Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. MMI under CEO Sanjay K.
Jha
THE LINES
NINE IN THE
FIRST PLACE
Managerial Issue: The CEO – managing the “approaching” success and
the “approaching” failure - dealing with the newly arrived economic expansion.
Managerial Lesson: Be determined.
Managerial
Warning: At the first stage of the Approach Time-Space, the CEO must:
§ Not let
himself be carried away by the current of the time;
§ Adhere
perseveringly to what is right.
When the times of
economic expansion arrive, many will advise the CEO to follow the latest
trends; to take the corporation in directions it has never gone before.
Managerial
Advice: The Superior CEO, when the
economic expansion begins, meets it head on and firmly holds on to his
managerial principles. He refuses to be tempted to follow any of the latest trends not matter how profitable they may seem, but rather stays
the course and keeps doing what has made the corporation successful. The Superior CEO knows that only then
will he be able to succeed without any regrets.
Investment Advice: Invest.
NINE IN THE
SECOND PLACE
Managerial Issue: The CEO – managing the “approaching” success and
the “approaching” failure - preparing for the recession as part of the economic
cycles.
Managerial Lesson: Be prepared.
Managerial Warning: At the second stage of the Approach Time-Space, the I Ching describes a
talented CEO who knows how to recognize the opportunities of the economic
expansion and goes on to meet the expansion to make the most of it by his own
initiative. However, he also prepares
for the coming recession, without allowing it to take him by surprise. This means both prosperity and security.
Managerial
Advice: The Superior CEO:
·
Knows that nothing lasts forever, that life is
cyclical, and that expansion follows contraction.
·
Knows the law of economic
cycles therefore he accepts that both the economic expansion as well as the
economic contraction are Heaven sent and has the strength and consistency to
make the most of them. He has no cause
for concern in knowing that the law of cycles is inevitable.
·
Is always prepared and follows the I Ching’s
advice: A CEO “need not be confused by
this universal law of fate. Everything
serves to further. Therefore
he will travel the paths of life swiftly, honestly, and valiantly”.
Investment Advice: Invest.
SIX IN THE
THIRD PLACE
Managerial Issue: The CEO – managing the “approaching” success and
the “approaching” failure - in danger of losing his humility as
a result of his success.
Managerial Lesson: Be humble.
Managerial
Warning: At the third stage of the Approach Time-Space, a CEO, who has gotten
meritorious recognition for making the most out of the economic cycle, runs the
risk of losing his humility and thereby betraying his principles and lowering
his self-imposed standards of excellence.
He might be tempted to make deals with the wrong people.
Managerial
Advice: The Superior CEO:
·
Maintains a vigilant attitude throughout the time
of success, and
·
Is courageous enough to feel to the utmost the:
o Full weight
of his errors,
o Responsibility
of his high position.
A The Superior CEO is always open to feel
the pain caused by his errors so as to overcome them
and transcend.
Fortunately, in this case, the CEO manages
to correct his attitude in time because he has become aware of the nature of
his error.
Investment Advice: Do not
invest.
SIX IN THE
FOURTH PLACE
Managerial Issue: The CEO – managing the “approaching” success and
the “approaching” failure -searching for talented executives/employees who will
make the most out of the cycle of economic expansion.
Managerial Lesson: Be unprejudiced.
Managerial
Warning: At the fourth stage of the Approach Time-Space, the CEO must look for
talented people outside the corporation should he find none within the
corporation.
Managerial
Advice: The Superior CEO:
Following such advice, the Superior CEO
will be able to draw capable employees into the corporation. This will surely lead to success.
Investment Advice: Invest.
SIX IN THE
FIFTH PLACE
Managerial Issue: The CEO – managing the “approaching” success and
the “approaching” failure - bringing in the best talent and delegating
authority.
Managerial Lesson: Be trusting.
Managerial Warning: At the fifth stage of the Approach Time-Space, the CEO must have the wisdom to attract to
himself employees who are experts in their own fields.
Managerial
Advice: The Superior CEO:
§ Chooses only
executives of talent/merit.
§ Gives them
his trust and authority.
§ Allows them
to do their job and gets out of the way.
A CEO knows how to delegate
responsibilities and authority and to keep himself on the sidelines so that the
talented managers he chose can successfully carry out their mission.
“Only through such self-restraint will he
find the experts needed to satisfy all of his requirements”
Investment Advice: Invest.
SIX IN THE
SIXTH PLACE
Managerial Issue: The CEO –
managing the “approaching” success and the “approaching” failure - searching
for a capable executive among retired executives as well as from outside the
corporation.
Managerial Lesson: Be open.
Managerial Warning: At the sixth
stage of the Approach Time-Space, the CEO should look for men of knowledge and
talent everywhere. In this particular case, he should look among retired
personnel.
Managerial
Advice: The CEO should honor such men by inviting them to participate in the decision making process.
Such acquisition would deepen the knowledge of the corporation by
allowing the younger executives to learn from them. This attitude from the CEO can only bring
success to the corporation and a good reputation to the retired executives.
Investment Advice: Invest.
MANAGERIAL CASES
Citrix
Systems, Inc. CTXS under CEO Mark B. Templeton
Mark B. Templeton’s performance: ROI= 159.53%, Annualized Return: 9.88%
SPY performance ROI= 2.39%, Annualized
Return: 0.23%
Mark B. Templeton’s has been CO of Citrix
Systems since June 2001. Since then, his
performance has been much superior to the SPY’s.
Because he has been CEO for over a decade,
we asked the Oracle once again about his future performance. His Time Space is
the Approach which points to Supreme Success.
Because there are no moving lines, there is no moving Hexagram and
therefore the Judgment is the focusing point.
Points the investor should consider:
1) THE HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 19 – Lin - Approach
The Chinese word Lin has a range of
meanings that is not exhausted by any single word of another language. The ancient explanations in the Book of
Changes give as its first meaning, "becoming great." What becomes great
are the two strong lines growing into the hexagram from below; the light-giving
power expands with them. The meaning is
then further extended to include the concept of approach, especially the
approach of what is strong and highly placed in relation to what is lower. Finally the meaning
includes the attitude of condescension of a man in high position toward the
people, and in general the setting to work on affairs. This hexagram is linked with the twelfth
month (January-February), when, after the winter solstice, the light power
begins to ascend again.
THE JUDGMENT
APPROACH has supreme success.
Perseverance furthers.
When the eighth month comes,
There will be misfortune.
The hexagram as a whole
points to a time of joyous, hopeful progress. Spring is approaching. Joy and forbearance bring high and low nearer
together. Success is certain. But we must work with determination and
perseverance to make full use of the propitiousness of the time. And one thing more: spring does not last
forever. In the eighth month the aspects
are reversed. Then only two strong,
light lines are left; these do not advance but are in retreat (see next
hexagram). We must take heed of this change
in good time. If we meet evil before it
becomes reality - before it has even begun to stir - we can master
it.
2) THE ADVICE
The earth above the lake: The image of
APPROACH.
Thus the
superior man is inexhaustible
In his will to teach,
And without limits
In his tolerance and protection of the
people.
The earth borders upon the lake from above
1. This symbolizes the approach and
condescension of the man of higher position to those beneath him. The two parts of the image indicate what his
attitude toward these people will be.
Just as the lake is inexhaustible in depth, so the sage is inexhaustible
in his readiness to teach mankind, and just as the earth is boundlessly wide,
sustaining and caring for all creatures on it, so the sage sustains and cares
for all people and excludes no part of humanity.
3) THE LINES:
There are no moving lines
4) THE MOVING HEXAGRAM
There is no moving hexagram because there
are no moving lines. The focus is on the
Judgment.
Motorola
Mobility Holdings Inc. MMI under CEO Sanjay K. Jha
Sanjay Jha’s Performance: ROI= 44.20% Annualized
Return: 74.89%
SPY Performance ROI=
(4.02%) Annualized Return: (6.10%)
Sanjay Jha became CEO of Motorola Mobility
in June 2010. Since then, his
performance has been much better than the SPY’s. He properly “Approached” Google for a merger
of both companies for a deal worth $12.5 billion at $40 a share. Managing such merger in such a short period
of time is indeed Good Fortune as the sixth line indicates. Indeed, he has shown wisdom:
§ His wisdom
consists both in
o selecting
the right people and in
o allowing
those chosen to have a free hand without interference from him.
Points the investor should consider:
1) THE HEXAGRAM
(Same as Above).
2) THE ADVICE
(Same as Above).
3) THE LINES:
Six in the fifth place
means:
Wise approach.
This is right for a great prince.
Good fortune.
§ A prince, or
anyone in a leading position, must have the wisdom to attract to himself people
of ability who are expert in directing affairs.
§ His wisdom
consists both in
o selecting
the right people and in
o allowing
those chosen to have a free hand without interference from him.
§ For only
through such self-restraint will he find the experts needed to satisfy all of his requirements.
4) THE MOVING HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 60 – Chieh - Limitation
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.