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The I Ching for Android

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. Diminishing (sǔn). Decrease Concording People (tóng rén). Fellowship

hieroglyph Diminishing (sǔn). Decreasehexagram 41 Diminishing (sǔn). Decrease

41. Diminishing (sǔn). Decrease

Advise

Do not mourn the losses; look at them as a holy sacrifice. But do not sacrifice beyond measure. Too big gift is a product of pride.

Inital text of I Ching

The Judgement

Decrease combined with sincerity brings about supreme good fortune without blame. One may be persevering in this. It furthers one to undertake something. How is this to be carried out? One may use two small bowls for the sacrifice.

The Image

At the foot of the mountain, the lake:
The image of Decrease. Thus the superior man controls his anger and restrains his instincts.

  1. Going quickly when one's tasks are finished is without blame. But one must reflect on how much one may decrease others.
  2. Perseverance furthers. To undertake something brings misfortune. Without decreasing oneself, one is able to bring increase to others.
  3. When three people journey together, their number decreases by one. When one man journeys alone, he finds a companion.
  4. If a man decreases his faults, it makes the other hasten to come and rejoice. No blame.
  5. Someone does indeed increase him. Ten pairs of tortoises cannot oppose it. Supreme good fortune.
  6. If one is increased without depriving others, there is no blame. Perseverance brings good fortune. It furthers one to undertake something. One obtains servants but no longer has a separate home.

Prediction

Much depends on you. Inner freedom is great - self-restraint is necessary, otherwise chaos will prevail, exhaustion. The inner truth is the basis of everything. You can act, but quickly and prudently. Success is in small matters, it is not the time for great things. Work moderately; do not spend a lot of energy. If you start a great thing – you have no enough energy and everything will turn into losses. Do not sacrifice a lot - just a small sacrifice made with pure thoughts.

Richard Wilhelm's commentary

This hexagram represents a decrease of the lower trigram in favor of the upper, because the third line, originally strong, has moved up to the top, and the top line, originally weak, has replaced it. What is below is decreased to the benefit of what is above. This is out-and-out decrease. If the foundations of a building are decreased in strength and the upper walls are strengthened, the whole structure loves its stability. Likewise, a decrease in the prosperity of the people in favor of the government is out-and-out decrease. And the entire theme of the hexagram is directed to showing how this shift of wealth can take place without causing the sources of wealth can take place without causing the sources of wealth in the nation and its lower classes to fail.

THE JUDGMENT

Decrease does not under all circumstances mean something bad. Increase and decrease come in their own time. What matters here is to understand the time and not to try to cover up poverty with empty pretense. If a time of scanty resources brings out an inner truth, one must not feel ashamed of simplicity. For simplicity is then the very thing needed to provide inner strength for further undertakings. Indeed, there need by no concern if the outward beauty of the civilization, even the elaboration of religious forms, should have to suffer because of simplicity. One must draw on the strength of the inner attitude to compensate for what is lacking in externals; then the power of the content makes up for the simplicity of form. There is no need of presenting false appearances to God. Even with slender means, the sentiment of the heart can be expressed.

THE IMAGE

The lake at the foot of the mountain evaporates. In this way it decreases to the benefit of the mountain, which is enriched by its moisture. The mountain stands as the symbol of stubborn strength that can harden into anger. The lake is the symbol of unchecked gaiety that can develop into passionate drives at the expense of the life forces. Therefore decrease is necessary; anger must be decreased by keeping still, the instincts must be curbed by restriction. By this decrease of the lower powers of the psyche, the higher aspects of the soul are enriched/

1

It is unselfish and good when a man, after completing his own urgent tasks, uses his strength in the service of others, and without bragging or making much of it, helps quickly where help is needed. But the man in a superior position who is thus aided must weigh carefully how much he can accept without doing the helpful servant or friend real harm. Only where such delicacy of feeling exists can one give oneself unconditionally and without hesitation.

2

A high-minded self-awareness and a consistent seriousness with no forfeit of dignity are necessary if a man wants to be of service to others. He who throw himself away in order to do the bidding of a superior diminishes his own position without thereby giving lasting benefit to the other. This is wrong. To render true service of lasting value to another, one must serve him without relinquishing oneself.

3

When there are three people together, jealousy arises. One of them will have to go. Avery close bond is possible only between two people. But when one man is lonely, he is certain to find a companion who complements him.

4

A man's faults often prevent even well-disposed people from coming closer to him. His faults are sometimes reinforced by the environment in which he lives. But if in humility he can bring himself to the point of giving them up, he frees his well-disposed friends from an inner pressure and causes them to approach the more quickly, and there is mutual joy.

5

If someone is marked out by fate for good fortune, it comes without fail. All oracles-as for instance those that are read from the shells of tortoises-are bound to concur in giving him favorable signs. He need fear nothing, because his luck is ordained from on high.

6

There are people who dispense blessings to the whole world. Every increase in power that comes to them benefits the whole of mankind and therefore does not bring decrease to others. Through perseverance and zealous work a man wins success and finds helpers as they are needed. But what he accomplishes is not a limited private advantage; it is a public good and available to everyone.

Barbara Hejslip interpretation

Be generous to people; in fact that you today give them, tomorrow the destiny will return to you with percent{interests}. Perhaps, now it seems to you, that you are unduly prodigal; do not think of this, do not fall up to commercialism, and you will generously rewarded. Time favours to considering of plans and intellectual activity. The majority of your desires will be executed, and you will collect much more, than sowed.



hieroglyph Concording People (tóng rén). Fellowshiphexagram 13 Concording People (tóng rén). Fellowship

13. Concording People (tóng rén). Fellowship

Advise

Agreed actions multiply power of everyone who is involved in them.

Inital text of I Ching

The Judgement

Fellowship with Men in the open. Success. It furthers one to cross the great water. The perseverance of the superior man furthers.

The Image

Heaven together with fire:
The image of Fellowship with Men. Thus the superior man organizes the clans and makes distinctions between things.

  1. Fellowship with men at the gate. No blame.
  2. Fellowship with men in the clan. Humiliation.
  3. He hides weapons in the thicket; He climbs the high hill in front of it. For three years he does not rise up.
  4. He climbs up on his wall; he cannot attack. Good fortune.
  5. Men bound in fellowship first weep and lament, but afterward they laugh. After great struggles they succeed in meeting.
  6. Fellowship with men in the meadow. No remorse.

Prediction

Ahead there are a pure space, wasteland. It is a new stage of development. There are new ideas, new opinions and rethinking. You are moving in the right direction, but it is better not to act alone. It is time to sacrifice personal interests for the sake of public ones. Do not reject help and do not refuse to help others. Take care of loved ones. There is harmony in relationships. Keep the tradition. Control your emotions and behavior – it is not the time to attack and take the fortress by storm. All can be achieved by peaceful means.

Richard Wilhelm's commentary

The image of the upper trigram Ch'ien is heaven, and that of the lower, Li, is flame. It is the nature of fire to flame up to the heaven. This gives the idea of fellowship. IT is the second line that, by virtue of its central character, unites the five strong lines around it. This hexagram forms a complement to Shih, THE ARMY. In the latter, danger is within and obedience without--the character of a warlike army, which, in order to hold together, needs one strong man among the many who are weak. Here, clarity is within and strength without--the character of a peaceful union of men, which, in order to hold together, needs one yielding nature among many firm persons.

THE JUDGMENT

True fellowship among men must be based upon a concern that is universal. It is not the private interests of the individual that create lasting fellowship among men, but rather the goals of humanity. That is why it is said that fellowship with men in the open succeeds. If unity of this kind prevails, even difficult and dangerous tasks, such as crossing the great water, can be accomplished. But in order to bring about this sort of fellowship, a persevering and enlightened leader is needed--a man with clear, convincing, and inspiring aims and the strength to carry them out. (The inner trigram means clarity; the outer, strength.)

THE IMAGE

Heaven has the same direction of movement as fire, yet it is different from fire. Just as the luminaries in the sky serve for the systematic division and arrangement of time, so human society and all things that really belong together must be organically arranged. Fellowship should not be a mere mingling of individuals or of things--that would be chaos, not fellowship. If fellowship is to lead to order, there must be organization within diversity.

1

The beginning of union among people should take place before the door. All are equally close to one another. No divergent aims have yet arisen, and one makes not mistakes. The basic principles of any kind of union must be equally accessible to all concerned. Secret agreements bring misfortune.

2

There is danger here of formation of a separate faction on the basis of personal and egotistic interests. Such factions, which are exclusive and, instead of welcoming all men, must condemn one group in order to unite the others, originate from low motives and therefore lead in the course of time to humiliation.

3

Here fellowship has changed about to mistrust. Each man distrusts the other, plans a secret ambush, and seeks to spy on his fellow form afar. We are dealing with an obstinate opponent whom we cannot come at by this method. Obstacles standing in the way of fellowship with others are shown here. One has mental reservations for one's own part and seeks to take his opponent by surprise. This very fact makes one mistrustful, suspecting the same wiles in his opponent and trying to ferret them out. The result is that one departs further and further from true fellowship. The longer this goes on, the more alienated one becomes.

4

Here the reconciliation that follows quarrel mover nearer. It is true that there are still dividing walls on which we stand confronting one another. But the difficulties are too great. We get into straits, and this brings us to our senses. We cannot fight, and therein lies our good fortune.

5

Two people are outwardly separated, but in their hearts they are united. They are kept apart by their positions in life. Many difficulties and obstructions arise between them and cause them grief. But, remaining true to each other, the allow nothing to separate them, and although it costs them a severe struggle to overcome the obstacles, they will succeed. When they come together their sadness will change to joy. Confucius says of this:

Life leads the thoughtful man on a path of many windings. Now the course is checked, now it runs straight again. Here winged thoughts may pour freely forth in words, There the heavy burden of knowledge must be shut away in silence. But when two people are at one in the inmost hearts, They shatter even the strength of iron or of bronze. And when two people understand each other in their inmost hearts, Their words are sweet and strong, like the fragrance of orchids.

6

The warm attachment that springs from the heart is lacking here. We are by this time actually outside of fellowship with others. However, we ally ourselves with them. The fellowship does not include all, but only those who happen to dwell near one another. The meadow is the pasture at the entrance to the town. At this stage, the ultimate goal of the union of mankind has not yet been attained, but we need not reproach ourselves. We join the community without separate aims of our own.

Barbara Hejslip interpretation

You will not get never in the bad company where you have gone. Be not afraid of the high purposes, enter safely struggle; and you will be supported by on whom you and do not count. You stay now in some anxiety and consequently are a little bit confused and are not assured. But has very soon put yours will go on the amendment. Your desire will be executed, if only you seriously enough will concern to the help of seniors offered to you.