Something from a friend

Here is something sent to a friend that this friend thougnt was good and recommended I put it on my website. Then later on I will add a little bit to it.

There could be a number of reason for this, depending on the context. I suspect you got this in a reading for a specific question, if it was specifically for personal growth, the answer might be a little different.

Often, when only one line is changing, it isn't too difficult to see how the primary flows into the relational hexagram. Other times, however, it is not so easy, and I suspect that this is because in the original Chinese, the words conveyed multiple meanings. These multiple meanings cannot be so easily translated into English. Nevertheless, let us look into the context a little here and see.

One thing that is important to remember too, though, is that while the primary meanings of hexagrams may seem more positive or more negative, in their secondary meanings they may not be that way so much.

The Text says:

Goodhearted approach.
Good fortune. No blame.

This looks pretty positive, and in terms of the lines alone, it is. Let's look at the commentary though.

In W/B the commentary states, "...may, under certain circumstances, decide to turn once more to the here and now. The sixth line normally refers to someone who has developed so much that they no longer need to partake in wordly affairs, but look, here the Sage is brought back. In other words he has to leave, so to speak, his heavenly abode. This is great good fortune for the world that he comes back to, and the individuals that would benefit from his teaching, but not necessarily so comfortable for him/her. He is, nevertheless, blameless for doing so.

And the meaning of the sixth line in general, the individual has gone too far, outside the context of the hexagram. Here, going outside the context of the hexagram, the Sage has gone too far away from the world. Hence, he/she cannot be of help unless he/she returns to help mankind. This is beneficial for mankind, but for him/her, it is merely without blame. This is a yin sixth line, so we can get an overall view of how to interpret it by looking at primarily hexagram two line six, because it is yin, and hexagram one line six for a secondary meaning. In line six of hexagram two it says, "Dragons fight in the meadow. " When the sixth line goes too far, it surpasses the ruler of the hexagram, which means conflict is inevitable. In ninteen line six, the conflict is between men who want his teaching, and he/she who wants to remain in the heavenly abode.

Do you see where I am going with this in terms of reduction? Let me know if it makes sense. In a nutshell, the sage reduces himself from his/her heavenly abode and returns to the lower, reducted world.

And a little bit of the response:

This was not about personal development, it was a bout a person I
know, who is, a sage. And I just found out last night that he
sustains himself by receiving alms. So the Yi may indeed just be
referring to that!

It is a connection so mundane I would not have thought of, that the
sage must ask for alms.


I went to Clarity and looked up archives of this, and saw Sunpuerh's
reply, that this referred to a matter that comes quickly and leaves.

I also saw your comments, which are very good.

I really like what you say here, from this email:

One thing that is important to remember too, though, is that while the
> primary meanings of hexagrams may seem more positive or more negative, in
> their secondary meanings they may not be that way so much.

this is something i think about quite a bit lately. it seems hexagram
meanings come with densities, or tones, or aspects. some times it is
very saturated, sometimes very transparent. sometimes a flash,
sometimes a light turned on in a room and left on all day and night.
this has been the art of it, lately, to me, to determine the density
of the meaning.

I wonder that the 19 line 6 about my friend, simply refereed quite
plainly to his situation.

In other words he
> has to leave, so to speak, his heavenly abode. This is great good fortune
> for the world that he comes back to, and the individuals that would benefit
> from his teaching, but not necessarily so comfortable for him/her. He is,
> nevertheless, blameless for doing so.