Clarity,
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1. Is it possible we sometimes get conflicting or confusing hexagrams as a sign that we are not connected to Higher Self and we are therefor asking out of ego?
2. Or, do ALL hexagrams have a divine logic to them, it just depends on us to make sense of them??
Is it possible we sometimes get conflicting or confusing hexagrams as a sign that we are not connected to Higher Self and we are therefor asking out of ego?
Answer: 35 "PROGRESS" (Lines 3&5) >>> 32 "RETREAT" (the changing lines did not shed any light, either)
Trojan, I must say that your version makes a little more sense to me. In other words;
"Through retreating (i.e. nonaction), you progress".
My version seems more complicating- "Progress now, retreat later"? or
"Progress here, but not there (i.e. the East)"?
Any way you cut it it doesn't make clear sense. Although for you I would interpret it as progressing throught non-action.
This leads me to a whole other complicated question (that I am sure has been written extensively here) which is; should the Secondary Hex been read primarily as what is to come? As further instruction?? Or both, depending on the situation?
You don't need to answer that– unless you feel compelled, of course...
Meng,
I'm not sure I agree with agreeing with Wilhelm! (My apologies to Wilhelm fans)
Again, regarding the Ego: If you have toddlers, as I do, you probably understand that they NEED discipline. I love them very much and they are my future, but they must be controlled to a degree or WE WILL ALL BE MISERABLE (and often we are!).
There is no master/slave aspect to the relationship because in the end it is all based on Love.
As I see it, the Ego is exactly the same. Its not bad, or evil, its just an aspect of my underdeveloped Self.
"Through retreating (i.e. nonaction), you progress".
I think now we are into belief systems and their associations. I associate children with spirit more than with ego. Ego is something learned, largely from their parents and teachers.
Bodhidogma, I have a question. Do you see retreat as nonaction?
Ah! But now that sounds like a value judgment to me.
Pure Spirit = Good v. Conditioned Ego=Bad
I do see your point though. I agree a big part of Ego is about game playing and manipulation, which is what we learn in the external world of rules, codes and conventions.
But then again, is the world of rules, codes and conventions necessarily "bad" (for lack of a better term)? I can say this; it certainly does not engage the Higher Self nor is it concerned with the ultimate Reality, yet it is necessary, just as the Ego is.
Which brings me full circle...
One could blame the ego in some cases for lack of understanding of Yi's answers, however Yi (in it's own way and language) generally differentiates clearly between our small self and the greater being, in a given reading. And we can sometimes play every character in a given reading: the "good" guys and the "bad" guys. But such a black or white view can cripple Yi's more beneficial use of helping us understand the dynamics surrounding our questions.
I didn't say ego was bad, so there's no value judgment on my part. Nor did I say or imply game playing or manipulation. I was merely commenting on the innocence of young children, and that ego is something which develops during formative years from adults, teachers and parents, i.e. sense of their identity, of which is ego's primary function.
Oops. I apologize for reading too much into your post.
And yes, I do agree with your statement about wanting to avoid the pitfalls of assigning dualistic values—(i.e. body v. spirit).
And honestly, I regularly change my mind on the question of Ego's value and/or role. All I know for sure is I am trying to evolve into a person with a weaker Ego, rather than stronger one. :bows:
While Buddhism strives for rest through an ebbing away of all movement in nirvana, the Yi Jing holds that rest is merely a state of polarity that always posits movement as its complement. - W/B h 52
Do you have another way of seeing retreat?
Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).