There were "old" features in your gua (hexagram). It means that you have two hexagrams. The first one — is something that the Book tells you at the moment, the second is something it warns you about. |
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  40. Taking-Apart (xiè). DeliveranceAdvise
At transition times, happiness is in leaving and coming back. When moving, you can avoid the danger.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
Deliverance. The southwest furthers. If there is no longer anything where one has to go, return brings good fortune. If there is still something where one has to go, hastening brings good fortune.
The Image
Thunder and rain set in: The image of Deliverance. Thus the superior man pardons mistakes and forgives misdeeds.
- Without blame.
- One kills three foxes in the field and receives a yellow arrow. Perseverance brings good fortune.
- If a man carries a burden on his back and nonetheless rides in a carriage, he thereby encourages robbers to draw near. Perseverance leads to humiliation.
- Deliver yourself from your great toe. Then the companion comes, and him you can trust.
- If only the superior man can deliver himself, it brings good fortune. Thus he proves to inferior men that he is in earnest.
- The prince shoots at a hawk on a high wall. He kills it. Everything serves to further.
Prediction
It is time crisis starts. It is transition time. It seems no success can be expected in any business. It is better to part with the old plans without regret and remorse – soon you will be able to start something new. Do not blame yourself in a failure, do not take too much responsibility, only accept the necessary losses. Look to the future without fear, chase painful thought - after the storm nature comes to life, everything goes on as usually.
Here the movement goes out of the sphere of danger. The obstacle has been
removed, the difficulties are being resolved. Deliverance is not yet achieved;
it is just in its beginning, and the hexagram represents its various stages.
THE JUDGMENT
This refers to a time in which tensions and complications begin to be eased.
At such times we ought to make our way back to ordinary conditions as soon
as possible; this is the meaning of "the southwest." These periods of sudden
change have great importance. Just as rain relieves atmospheric tension,
making all the buds burst open, so a time of deliverance from burdensome
pressure has a liberating and stimulating effect on life. One thing is
important, however: in such times we must not overdo our triumph. The
point is not to push on farther than is necessary. Returning to the regular
order of life as soon as deliverance is achieved brings good fortune. If there
are any residual matters that ought to be attended to, it should be done as
quickly as possible, so that a clean sweep is made and no retardations occur.
THE IMAGE
A thunderstorm has the effect of clearing the air; the superior man produces
a similar effect when dealing with mistakes and sins of men that induce a
condition of tension. Through clarity he brings deliverance. However, when
failings come to light, he does not dwell on them; he simply passes over
mistakes, the unintentional transgressions, just as thunder dies away. He
forgives misdeeds, the intentional transgressions, just as water washes
everything clean.
1
In keeping with the situation, few words are needed. The hindrance is past,
deliverance has come. One recuperates in peace and keeps still. This is the
right thing to do in times when difficulties have been overcome.
2
The image is taken from the hunt. The hunter catches three cunning foxes
and receives a yellow arrow as a reward. The obstacles in public life are the
designing foxes who try to influence the ruler through flattery. They must be
removed before there can be any deliverance. But the struggle must not be
carried on with the wrong weapons. The yellow color points to measure and
mean in proceeding against the enemy; the arrow signifies the straight course.
If one devotes himself wholeheartedly to the task of deliverance, he develops
so much inner strength from his rectitude that it acts as a weapon against all
that is false and low.
3
This refers to a man who has come out of needy circumstances in to comfort
and freedom from want. If now, in the manner of an upstart, he tries to take
his ease in comfortable surroundings that do not suit his nature, he thereby
attracts robbers. If he goes on thus he is sure to bring disgrace upon himself.
Confucius says about this line:
Carrying a burden on the back is the business of common man; a carriage is
the appurtenance of a man of rank. Now, when a common man uses the
appurtenance of man of rank, robbers plot to take it away from him. If a man
is insolent toward those above him and hard toward those below him,
robbers plot to attack him. Carelessness in guarding things tempts thieves to
steal. Sumptuous ornaments worn by a maiden are an enticement to rob her
of her virtue.
4
In times of standstill it will happen that inferior people attach themselves to a
superior man, and through force of daily habit they may grow very close to
him and become indispensable, just as the big toe is indispensable to the foot
because it makes walking easier. But when the time of deliverance draws
near, with its call to deeds, a man must free himself from such chance
acquaintances with whim he has no inner connection. For otherwise the
friends who share his views, on whom he could really rely and together with
whom he could accomplish something, mistrust him and stay away.
5
Times of deliverance demand inner resolve. Inferior people cannot be
driven off by prohibitions or any external means. If one desires to be rid of
them, he must first break completely with them in his own mind; they will
see for themselves that he is in earnest and will withdraw.
6
The hawk on a high wall is the symbol of a powerful inferior in a high
position who is hindering the deliverance. He withstands the force of inner
influences, because he is hardened in his wickedness. He must be forcibly
removed, and this requires appropriate means. Confucius says about this
line:
The hawk is the object of the hunt; bow and arrow are the tools and means.
The marksman is man (who must make proper use of the means to his end).
The superior man contains the means in his own person. He bides his time
and then acts. Why then should not everything go well? He acts and is free.
Therefore all he has to do is to go forth, and he takes his quarry. This is how a
man fares who acts after he has made ready the means.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationYou had to overcome the long period of anxiety and troubles. And here this period behind. Now it is necessary to gather and immediately to start to operate, differently it is possible to miss an opportunity to achieve brilliant results. A certain old desire will be executed, new - too, but hardly later. You will have new friends. If at you the trip, travel, - happy journey is planned! They will give to you only pleasure. The begun period is very favorable well to earn.
  7. Leading (shī). The ArmyAdvise
If war is inevitable, show you as a wise commander. War is not for the sake of war but for the sake of resolving the conflict.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
The Army. The army needs perseverance and a strong man. Good fortune without blame.
The Image
In the middle of the earth is water: The image of the Army. Thus the superior man increases his masses y generosity toward the people.
- An army must set forth in proper order. If the order is not good, misfortune threatens.
- In the midst of the army. Good fortune. No blame. The king bestows a triple decoration.
- Perchance the army carries corpses in the wagon. Misfortune.
- The army retreats. No blame.
- There is game in the field. It furthers one to catch it. Without blame. Let the eldest lead the army. The younger transports corpses; Then perseverance brings misfortune.
- The great prince issues commands, founds states, vests families with fiefs. Inferior people should not be employed.
Prediction
The conflict can not be resolved peacefully by the court or the court's decision will be unfair. The time of battle is approaching. You should show character and will according to the situation. Even great victory is accompanied by losses - be ready to sacrifice and humble. Respect the enemy, appreciate his mind. The danger may lurk inside - it is a war with yourselves (the one who can judge themselves, not to go to court). The main victory man wins over himself. The insignificant should be defeated. But remember that protracted wars bring nothing but devastation and chaos.
This hexagram is made up of the trigrams K'an, water, and K'un, earth, and
thus it symbolizes the ground water stored up in the earth. In the same way
military strength is stored up in the mass of the people--invisible in times of
peace but always ready for use as a source of power. The attributes of the two
trig rams are danger inside and obedience must prevail outside.
Of the individual lines, the one that controls the hexagram is the strong
nine in the second place, to which the other lines, all yielding, are
subordinate. This line indicates a commander, because it stands in the
middle of one of the two trigrams. But since it is in the lower rather than the
upper trigram, it represents not the ruler but the efficient general, who
maintains obedience in the army by his authority.
THE JUDGMENT
An army is a mass that needs organization in order to become a fighting force.
Without strict discipline nothing can be accomplished, but this discipline
must not be achieved by force. It requires a strong man who captures the
hearts of the people and awakens their enthusiasm. In order that he may
develop his abilities he needs the complete confidence of his ruler, who must
entrust him with full responsibility as long as the war lasts. But war is always
a dangerous thing and brings with it destruction and devastation. Therefore
it should not be resorted to rashly but, like a poisonous drug, should be used
as a last recourse.
THE IMAGE
Ground water is invisibly present within the earth. In the same way the
military power of a people is invisibly present in the masses. When danger
threatens, every peasant becomes present in the masses. When danger
threatens, every peasant becomes a soldier; when the war ends, he goes back
to his plow. He who is generous toward the people wins their love, and a
people living under a mild rule becomes strong and powerful. Only a people
economically strong can be important in military power. Such power must
therefore be cultivated by improving the economic condition of the people
and by humane government. Only when there is this invisible bond between
government and people, so that the people are sheltered by their
government as ground water is sheltered by the earth, is it possible to wage a
victorious war.
1
At the beginning of a military enterprise, order is imperative. A just and
valid cause must exist, and the obedience and coordination of the troops must
be well organized, otherwise the result is inevitably failure.
2
The leader should be in the midst of his army, in touch with it, sharing good
and bad with the masses he leads. This alone makes him equal to the heavy
demands made upon him. He needs also the recognition of the ruler. The
decorations he receives are justified, because there is no question of personal
preferment here: the whole army, whose center he is, is honored in his
person.
3
Here we have a choice of two explanations. One points to defeat because
someone other than the chosen leader interferes with the command; the
other is similar in its general meaning, but the expression, "carries corpses in
the wagon," is interpreted differently. At burials and at sacrifices to the dead it
was customary in China for the deceased to whom the sacrifice was made to
be represented by a boy of the family, who sat in the dead man's place and was
honored as his representative. On the basis of this custom the text is
interpreted as meaning that a "corpse boy" is sitting in the wagon, or, in
other words, that authority is not being exercised by the proper leaders but has
been usurped by others. Perhaps the whole difficulty clears up if it is inferred
that there has been an error in copying. The character fan, meaning "all," may
have been misread as shih, which means "corpse." Allowing for this error,
the meaning would be that if the multitude assumes leadership of the army
(rides in the wagon), misfortune will ensue.
4
In the face of a superior enemy, with whom it would be hopeless to engage in
battle, an orderly retreat is the only correct procedure, because it will save the
army from defeat and disintegration. It is by no means a sign of courage or
strength to insist upon engaging in a hopeless struggle regardless of
circumstances.
5
Game is in the field - it has left its usual haunts in the forest and is
devastating the fields. This points to an enemy invasion. Energetic combat
and punishment are here thoroughly justified, but they must not degenerate
into a wild melee in which everyone fends for himself. Despite the greatest
degree of perseverance and bravery, this would lead to misfortune. The army
must be directed by an experienced leader. It is a matter of waging war, not of
permitting the mob to slaughter all who fall into their hands; if they do,
defeat will be the result, and despite all perseverance there is danger of
misfortune.
6
The war has ended successfully, victory is won, and the king divided estates
and fiefs among his faithful vassals. But it is important that inferior people
should not come into power. If they have helped, let them be paid off with
money, but they should not be awarded lands or the privileges of rulers, lest
power be abused.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationSymbol of this hexagram - a conscious solitude. Now you as if the commander who considers forthcoming approach. Success accompanies you, but be attentive and cautious in a choice of allies. Let they become people, at which kind intentions. Probably, you will be visited by the unexpected visitor, or you receive unexpected news. Though you also had a dissonance with the close person, - but nevertheless you stay in a romantic condition of spirit. But all to you needs to be planned the future business more carefully and reasonably.
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Richard Wilhelm's commentary