HEXAGRAM 50: ORIGINAL, INTERPRETATION AND CASES

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,

2. 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

· 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

o to life and

o 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 second place means:

There is food in the ting.

My comrades are envious,

But they cannot harm me.

Good fortune.

In a period of advanced culture, it is of the greatest importance that

· one should achieve something significant.

· a man concentrates on such real undertakings,

· he may indeed experience envy and disfavor, but that is not dangerous.

· The more he limits himself to his actual achievements,

· the less harm can the envious inflict on him.

Nine in the third place means:

The handle of the Ting is altered.

One is impeded in his way of life.

The fat of the pheasant is not eaten.

Once rain falls, remorse is spent.

Good fortune comes in the end.

The handle is the means for lifting up the Ting.

If the handle is altered,

· the Ting cannot be lifted up and used, and, sad to say,

· the delicious food in it, such as pheasant fat, cannot be eaten by anyone.

This describes a man who, in a highly evolved civilization,

· finds himself in a place where no one notices or recognizes him.

This is a severe block to his effectiveness.

All of his good qualities and gifts of mind thus needlessly go to waste.

But if

· he will only see to it that he is possessed of something truly spiritual,

the time is bound to come, sooner or later,

when

· the difficulties will be resolved and

· all will go well.

The fall of rain symbolizes here, as in other instances, release of tension.

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,

· 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."

Six in the fifth place means:

The Ting has yellow handles, golden carrying rings.

Perseverance furthers.

Here we have, in a ruling position,

a man who

· is approachable and

· modest in nature.

As a result of this attitude

· succeeds in finding strong and able helpers

· who complement and aid him in his work.

Having achieved this attitude,

which requires constant self-abnegation,

it is important for him

· to hold to it and

· not to let himself be led astray.

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.

1. [There are beautiful examples of the Ting in most of our museums where they are classified as ritual vessels. The German word used by Wilhelm for Ting is Tiegel, meaning literally "caldron" and, in another sense, “crucible." Since this characteristic Chinese vessel is unique in form, so different from either a caldron or a crucible in the usual sense, the word Ting has been retained wherever feasible here.]

2. Cf. the other three hexagrams dealing with nourishment, viz., hexagrams 5, 27, 48.

50 THE CALDRON

MANAGERIAL ISSUE:

The CEO – managing the corporation as a cooking vessel (Caldron) to nourish great corporate ideas and employees.

Hexagram 48 (The Well) would describe the corporation as a "Well” or an inexhaustible source of ideas and the CEO as the one responsible for drawing those ideas out from the employees and carry them through to a successful completion.

Hexagram 50 (The Caldron) would describe the corporation as a “cooking vessel” and the CEO in his role as the “chef” who must use this vessel to cook the corporate ideas and bring them to a successful completion.

As a “chef”, the CEO must get the necessary “ingredients” (resources) to prepare the corporate “food”, to provide “nourishment” for and to “nurture” the corporation. The “ingredients” would include properly trained employees, raw materials, tools, research, final products, marketing, financial strength and all the corporation might need as “nourishment”.

This is particularly the case with the role of nurturing the younger executives for the purpose of finding the next generation of leaders. This is one of the CEO’s most crucial roles, because on this issue depends the survival of the corporation.

MANAGERIAL LESSON:

· The Superior CEO:

Nourishes the young executives under his training. He knows it is his sacred duty:

o To hand down his knowledge to the future generations, and

o To find the right replacement for himself.

· The Superior executive

Knows it is his sacred duty:

o To regard the CEO with profound respect as the man of vision who has much to teach him – after all, the CEO is a man already chosen to lead the corporation not only by the Board of Directors but also by fate (he has the Mandate of Heaven),

o To learn all the CEO can teach him - If his attitude is the right one and if he learns properly from the CEO, the future of the corporation is assured.

INVESTMENT ADVICE:

For the investor, the Caldron Time-Space represents in general terms a favorable Time-Space to invest.

By itself (no lines) the Time-Space points to Supreme Good Fortune and Success.

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 lines include two possibilities of good fortune (the second and third) and one possibility of Great Good Fortune (the sixth).

The following cases are those of corporations under the Caldron Time-Space:

· Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM under CEO Rex W. Tillerson

· Henry Schein Inc. HSIC under CEO Stanley M. Bergman

· DENTSPLY International Inc. XRAY under CEO Bret W. Wise

· Linear Technology Corp. LLTC under CEO Lothar Maier

(Read at the end of the Hexagram)

THE LINES

SIX IN THE FIRST PLACE

Managerial Issue: The CEO – managing the corporation as a cooking vessel (Caldron) to nourish great corporate ideas and employees - managing to clear the corporate cooking vessel before starting to cook great ideas.

Managerial Lesson: Be unprejudiced.

Managerial Warning: At the first stage of the Caldron Time-Space, the CEO finds the need to clear out all prejudices from his mind as well as from the corporation’s employees before starting to cook to nurture the corporation. This line highlights the CEO’s need for a proper sense of justice in choosing the corporation’s future leaders.

Managerial Advice: The Superior CEO is impartial when looking for talent among the young executives. He knows he must be blind as to sex, age, color, religion, etc. He knows his only consideration should be ability, talent and merit.

In this particular case, the I Ching points out there is someone of talent who comes from a lower social class and advices the CEO to be on the lookout for him. Once found, the CEO must accept him as a future leader because this young executive will prove his worth. This assures the future well-being of the corporation.

Investment advice: Do not invest.

NINE IN THE SECOND PLACE

Managerial Issue: The CEO – managing the corporation as a cooking vessel (Caldron) to nourish great corporate ideas and employees - in spite of criticism.

Managerial Lesson: Be alert.

Managerial Warning: At the second stage of the Caldron Time-Space,

· The CEO finds he must get on with the “cooking” in finding the future leaders while expecting criticism for doing his work.

· A talented young executive finds his colleagues are envious of him.

Managerial Advice: The Superior CEO and the Superior executive ignore envy and criticism and continue with their work. They both continue to do great things. Think of Jack Welch of General Electric and how his envious young colleagues might have spoken evil of him when he blew up a lab. Yet he kept on doing what he did best, always concentrating on the task at hand rather than on what others were saying of him. The Superior executive who pays attention to what others say about him has a double task, he must first spend time and effort in paying attention to the criticism and then he must pay attention to his real task. The Superior CEO knows who is doing his job and when the time comes he will properly choose the next CEO.

Investment advice: Invest. (Good Fortune)

NINE IN THE THIRD PLACE

Managerial Issue: The CEO – managing the corporation as a cooking vessel (Caldron) to nourish great corporate ideas and employees - but getting no recognition for it.

Managerial Lesson: Be constant.

Managerial Warning: At the third stage of the Caldron Time-Space,

· The CEO finds he must continue to look for young talented executives at all times and at all places of the corporation. In this way he won’t miss the future talent. And

· The young and talented executive finds that in spite of working very hard, he has not yet found recognition in the corporation.

Managerial Advice:

· The Superior CEO is tireless in his search for talent.

· The Superior executive will continue to exercise his talent regardless of recognition. He knows that if his talent is true talent, an inborn gift, and “truly spiritual”, then he can rest assured that the wise CEO will, in time, certainly find him.

Investment advice: Invest. Be prepared for difficulties. (Good Fortune comes in the end).

NINE IN THE FOURTH PLACE

Managerial Issue: The CEO – managing the corporation as a cooking vessel (Caldron) to nourish great corporate ideas and employees - unable to use the Caldron for lack of talent and character.

Managerial Lesson: Be determined.

Managerial Warning: At the fourth stage of the Caldron Time-Space, the CEO finds his lack of talent and character causes him to fail in nurturing the next generation of executives. He tends to surrounded himself with incompetent assistants, who cause him to fail in properly handing down tasks and responsibilities. The CEO must correct this situation quickly because this will end in disaster.

Managerial Advice: The Superior CEO will keep the company of superior employees only. How can he go wrong with their advice?

Investment advice: Do not invest. (Misfortune)

SIX IN THE FIFTH PLACE

Managerial Issue: The CEO – managing to use the corporate cooking vessel to cook great ideas – succeeding by the proper humble attitude.

Managerial Lesson: Be humble.

Managerial Warning: At the fifth stage of the Caldron Time-Space, the CEO learns his role in finding talented executives.

While in the previous line, the arrogance of the CEO attracted the worst kind of assistants. In this line, the humility of the CEO attracts the best assistants and that is how he succeeds.

Managerial Advice: The Superior CEO knows humility is above talent. He readily recognizes when he is not the most talented of the CEOs, yet, by his humility and honesty in readily recognizing merits in his subordinates, he completes his task of finding his replacement. The Superior CEO recognizes that handling people is as much of a talent as creating a new product.

Investment advice: Do not invest. Look for a better investment. (Perseverance furthers).

NINE IN THE SIXTH PLACE

Managerial Issue: The CEO – managing the corporation as a cooking vessel (Caldron) to nourish great corporate ideas and employees - successfully using the Caldron to find the proper successor.

Managerial Lesson: Be a teacher.

Managerial Warning: At the sixth stage of the Caldron Time-Space, the CEO finds the right executive to impart his knowledge.

Managerial Advice: The Superior CEO listens and looks for executives who listen. He knows that listening is one of the corporate leaders’ greatest qualities. Once the Superior CEO has found someone with talent who is willing to listen, he can begin the long process of training his future replacement. The reason why the Superior CEO knows he has found his man is because not only is the young executive talented, but also is willing to listen.

This is the line of Reginald H. Jones of General Electric finding Jack Welch, or of J. Paul Austin of Coca Cola finding Goizueta.

Investment advice: Invest. (Great Good Fortune)

MANAGERIAL CASES

Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM under CEO Rex W. Tillerson

Rex Tillerson’s Performance: ROI= 20.68% Annualized Return= 3.33%

SPY’s Performance: ROI= (9.50%) Annualized Return= (1.73%)

Rex W. Tillerson has been CEO of Exxon Mobil since January of 2006.

Since then, he has been able to outperform the SPY by a combination of managerial skills and high demand for raw materials..

The lines: there are no moving lines therefore the Judgment applies all by itself:

THE CALDRON. Supreme good fortune. Success, which points to a prosperous time during the Caldron Time-Space. His performance proves he has done as well as the Oracle predicted and will continue to do well in the future as he continues to nurture the corporation with talented managers who will eventually succeed him in accordance with his Time-Space.

Points the investor should consider:

1) THE HEXAGRAM

HEXAGRAM 50 – Ting - The Caldron

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, 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.

2) THE ADVICE

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,

3) THE LINES:

There are no moving lines.

4) THE MOVING HEXAGRAM

There is no moving Hexagram because there are no moving lines. The Judgment becomes the focusing point.

THE JUDGMENT

THE CALDRON.

Supreme good fortune.

Success.

Henry Schein Inc. HSIC under CEO Stanley M. Bergman

Stanley Bergman’s Performance: ROI= 328.00% Annualized Return= 9.62%

SPY’s Performance: ROI= 89.07% Annualized Return= 4.10%

Stanley M. Bergman has been CEO of Henry Schein since 1989. Since then, his performance has been outstanding compared to the SPYs.

However, because he has been CEO for over two decades, we have to ask of the Oracle once more about his future performance. His new Time Space is the Caldron.

Points the investor should consider:

1) THE HEXAGRAM

(Same as Above).

2) THE ADVICE

(Same as Above).

3) 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 second place means:

There is food in the ting.

My comrades are envious,

But they cannot harm me.

Good fortune.

In a period of advanced culture, it is of the greatest importance that one should achieve something significant. If a man concentrates on such real undertakings, he may indeed experience envy and disfavor, but that is not dangerous. The more he limits himself to his actual achievements, the less harm can the envious inflict on him.

4) THE MOVING HEXAGRAM

HEXAGRAM 30 – Li - THE CLINGING, FIRE

This hexagram is another double sign. The trigram Li means ¨to cling to something," "to be conditioned, to depend or rest on something," and also "brightness”. A dark line clings to two light lines, one above and one below - the image of an empty space between two strong lines, whereby the two strong lines are made bright. The trigram represents the middle daughter. The Creative has incorporated the central line of the Receptive, and thus Li develops. As an image, it is fire. Fire has no definite form but clings to the burning object and thus is bright. As water pours down from heaven, so fire flames up from the earth. While K'an means the soul shut within the body, Li stands for nature in its radiance.

THE JUDGMENT

THE CLINGING.

Perseverance furthers.

It brings success.

Care of the cow brings good fortune.

What is dark clings to what is light and so enhances the brightness of the latter. A luminous thing giving out light must have within itself something that perseveres; otherwise it will in time burn itself out. Everything that gives light is dependent on something to which it clings, in order that it may continue to shine.

Thus sun and moon cling to heaven, and grain, grass, and trees cling to the earth. So too the twofold clarity of the dedicated man clings to what is right and thereby can shape the world. Human life on earth is conditioned and unfree, and, when man recognizes this limitation and makes himself dependent upon the harmonious and beneficent forces of the cosmos, he achieves success. The cow is the symbol of extreme docility. By cultivating in himself an attitude of compliance and voluntary dependence, man acquires clarity without sharpness and finds his place in the world. 1

THE IMAGE

That which is bright rises twice: The image of FIRE.

Thus the great man, by perpetuating this brightness,

Illumines the four quarters of the world.

Each of the two trigrams represents the sun in the course of a day. The two together represent the repeated movement of the sun, the function of light with respect to time. The great man continues the work of nature in the human world. Through the clarity of his nature he causes the light to spread farther and farther and to penetrate the nature of man ever more deeply.

DENTSPLY International Inc. XRAY under CEO Bret W. Wise

Bret Wise’s Performance: ROI= 4.28% Annualized Return= 1.00%

SPY’s Performance: ROI= (17.29%) Annualized Return= (3.93%)

Bret W. Wise has been CEO of Dentsply since January of 2007. Since then, he has been able to outperform the SPY; however, it should be noted that in the last two years he has not been able to outperform the SPY.

Points the investor should consider:

1) THE HEXAGRAM

(Same as Above).

2) THE ADVICE

(Same as Above).

3) THE LINES:

There are no moving lines.

4) THE MOVING HEXAGRAM

There is no moving Hexagram because there are no moving lines. The Judgment becomes the focusing point.

THE JUDGMENT

THE CALDRON.

Supreme good fortune.

Success.

Linear Technology Corp. LLTC under CEO Lothar Maier

Lothar Maier’s Performance: ROI= (21.62%) Annualized Return= (3.55%)

SPY’s Performance: ROI= (1.86%) Annualized Return= (0.28%)

Lothar Maier has been CEO of Linear technology since January of 2005. Since then, his performance has been very poor compared to the SPYs.

Because he has been CEO for almost 7 years, we asked the Oracle to project his future Time-Space

Points the investor should consider:

1) THE HEXAGRAM

(Same as Above).

2) THE ADVICE

(Same as Above).

3) THE LINES:

Nine in the third place means:

The handle of the Ting is altered.

One is impeded in his way of life.

The fat of the pheasant is not eaten.

Once rain falls, remorse is spent.

Good fortune comes in the end.

The handle is the means for lifting up the Ting. If the handle is altered, the Ting cannot be lifted up and used, and, sad to say, the delicious food in it, such as pheasant fat, cannot be eaten by anyone. This describes a man who, in a highly evolved civilization, finds himself in a place where no one notices or recognizes him. This is a severe block to his effectiveness. All of his good qualities and gifts of mind thus needlessly go to waste. But if he will only see to it that he is possessed of something truly spiritual, the time is bound to come, sooner or later, when the difficulties will be resolved and all will go well. The fall of rain symbolizes here, as in other instances, release of tension.

4) THE MOVING HEXAGRAM

HEXAGRAM 64 - Wei Chi - Before Completion

This hexagram indicates a time when the transition from disorder to order is not yet completed. The change is indeed prepared for, since all the lines in the upper trigram are in relation to those in the lower (1). However, they are not yet in their places. While the preceding hexagram offers an analogy to autumn, which forms the transition from summer to winter, this hexagram presents a parallel to spring, which leads out of winter's stagnation into the fruitful time of summer. With this hopeful outlook the Book of Changes comes to its close.

THE JUDGMENT

BEFORE COMPLETION.

Success.

But if the little fox, after nearly completing the crossing,

Gets his tail in the water,

There is nothing that would further.

The conditions are difficult. The task is great and full of responsibility. It is nothing less than that of leading the world out of confusion back to order. But it is a task that promises success, because there is a goal that can unite the forces now tending in different directions. At first, however, one must move warily, like an old fox walking over ice. The caution of a fox walking over ice is proverbial in China. His ears are constantly alert to the cracking of the ice, as he carefully and circumspectly searches out the safest spots. A young fox who as yet has not acquired this caution goes ahead boldly, and it may happen that he falls in and gets his tail wet when he is almost across the water. Then of course his effort has been all in vain. Accordingly, in times "before completion," deliberation and caution are the prerequisites of success.

THE IMAGE

Fire over water: The image of the condition before transition.

Thus the superior man is careful

In the differentiation of things,

So that each finds its place.

When fire, which by nature flames upward, is above, and water, which flows downward, is below, their effects take opposite directions and remain unrelated. If we wish to achieve an effect, we must first investigate the nature of the forces in question and ascertain their proper place. If we can bring these forces to bear in the right place, they will have the desired effect, and completion will be achieved. But in order to handle external forces properly, we must above all arrive at the correct standpoint ourselves, for only from this vantage can we work correctly.