More on hexagram forty eight

It was mentioned that when hexagram forty eight shows as a secondary hexagram (and also hexagrams four and twenty), it can indicate that the lesson has not been fully understood. Hexagram forty five line five carries a similar theme, but here it is a general statement that the I Ching's teachings are not readily perceived. The line says, "Supreme and enduring perseverance is needed, then remorse disappears." If we do not spend time meditating on the lines and commentary in the I Ching, we will not be able to perceive truly and perfectly the message that is presented before us. It is only when we calm our mind, for only in a state of calmness can we "perceive the laws of the universe." (See hexagram fifty two). But such does not come easily. It is not in the first reading usually that we get the answer. It must be meditated upon until a deeper stratum of our being is reached, (the rope must go all the way down to the well), until we really have a grasp of the meaning of the lines and precepts within the constructs of the I Ching. (The same is true of any other sacred book.) It is only by persevering that we achieve any meaning answers from the I Ching. It is only in persevering in the right, in love, and awe and respect, that the great laws of the universe permeate our mind and produce within us fresh insights. In hexagram twenty nine the light lines are trapped between two dark lines in each trigram. On the one hand, the darkness creates a greater contrast to the light, on the other, the light cannot be readily seen until the lessons of the teacher (the I Ching) are practiced over and over again that the light begins to shine within the darkness. We cannot perceive real spiritual truth until the mental ground of our being has been prepared. (See the parable of the sower who went forth to sow in the gospels). The seeds only produced in the ground that was fertile. Our minds must be fertile.

Hexagram sixty three line three says that, "Long, drawn out struggles must be reckoned with." The struggle is within ourselves. In order to see the light we must meditate and work to understand the metaphorical and metaphysical meanings of the lines. It is only when we are willing to struggle for the answers that the come, and in coming we are allowed to "See the Illustrious Ancestor," In other words, we see the real meaning behind the words. But line five of sixty three says that real seriousness is lacking, and as long as it lacks, our "rope does not go all the way down to the water." We lack seriousness when we look for superficial answers, and having found them, give up any further search thinking we have received the full measure of "water from the well." In that sense we only "shoot fish." And/or our "jug breaks." In this case, as in line four, "The king is not clear minded." His words are only superficial and do not reach to the heart of the problem.

If it were simply a matter of intellectual learning, the teacher (I Ching) would not have to repeat the lesson over and over again, but hexagram twenty nine speaks of the necessity of repetition by the teacher, otherwise the material is not made ones own, and does not have the life giving properties of water.