Hexagram 48 line 2

The following is some sample meanings for hexagram forty eight line two.

Hexagram 48

Line 2.

a. The water is clear, but it is not being used.

We are not making full use of the I Ching. That which is given us isn’t garnered into our spiritual sheds so to speak, so that we get the use full use out of it. Here it is not truly a case of our misunderstanding, it is more a case of neglect. The proper technique is not being employed. We see it but we neglect it, and as such, talents go to waste.

b. The well is a place where only fish will stay, and whoever comes to it comes only to catch fish.

We are using the well for the wrong reasons. We have a tremendous source available to us but we do not use it for the purpose it was meant for. This is often true when we use the I Ching only for divination purposes, and look only so far as is necessary to accomplish our immediate purpose.

c. But the jug is broken, so that the fish cannot be kept in it.

This describes someone who, in practicing only divination, does not have the capacity for deeper thought, hence his use is suspect, because the broken jug indicates an incapacity to bring up true understanding from the I Ching.

d. This describes a situation where a person has good qualities but neglects them.

When we gain understanding, do we truly use it? Do we have good intentions of taking the wisdom and the knowledge that we have gained and pass it on to the world? At least to those who are receptive? Do we take the knowledge to heart and apply it in our daily lives, in the times when we are perforce dealing with the outer world? What we don’t use, we eventually lose. It is important to keep working, to improve ourselves and our skills day by day. In this way we “complete our work in such a way that it bears fruit for the future. (hexagram two line three.)

e. No one bothers about him. As a result he deteriorates in mind. He associates with inferior men and can no longer accomplish anything worth while.

If we neglect our duties, if we do not improve ourselves daily, work on that which has been spoiled, practice chariot driving daily, there comes a time when our lack of effort will leave us of no use to others, and our skills go to waste. If it is serious enough, so to can our ability to earn a living and be a part of the greater whole be affected.

In a reading for information on a given subject, these commentaries can have a more direct meaning. In a question about a job for example, it may be that the person is not applying him or herself. As such there are difficulties on the job, and one’s performance evaluation becomes a problem. But one can also turn this around. One may be working in a situation in which there is little or no support. If the jug cannot hold the fishes, the financial wellbeing of the company may be at stake. There may be a leakage of funds in a given area.

It may be too, that an employer has on hand the potential for a good employee, but does not recognize the usefulness of the employee. He neglects hiring this employee. Any number of situations can arise from this, and the speculations are far reaching. One can come to a proper understanding only by a good intuitive grasp of the situation. Often the I Ching throws the question back at us, giving us only a description of the case, in such a way that an answer can be intuited.