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52.6

dobro p

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What's 52.6 about?

52's one of the hexagrams that images toe to top symbology for its meaning: feet, calves, loins, chest, jawbones, and then...? I translate that word in 52.6 as 'big-hearted'; others call it 'magnanimous', 'generous', 'noble-hearted' - you get the picture.

But in the context of body parts and what they symbolize, where does 52.6 fit in? Does it refer to the mental realm of being? The spiritual? Or something else? Or is it leaving the pattern established by the lower five lines altogether because it's at the top?
 

cellofellow

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Another shade of meaning from Ritema / Karcher is firm, solid. If I've got this line, I've read it as me having acheived complete peace in a particular aspect of a situation ~ no doubt counter-balanced by lots of tangled-up-ness in other aspects . . .

The same word is used in hex 19, line 6, and hex 24, line 5, if that's any help.
 

cellofellow

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It's just occured to me. Maybe you could read the chakras into it, with the top line being the third eye? It's a bit of a stab in the dark, though, as I don't know much about the chakras. If anyone knows of any links, books, etc, then please direct me to them!
 
D

dharma

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<blockquote>"But in the context of body parts and what they symbolize, where does 52.6 fit in? Does it refer to the mental realm of being? The spiritual? Or something else? Or is it leaving the pattern established by the lower five lines altogether because it's at the top?"</blockquote>

It sure sounds to me like this line reaches up into the psycho-spiritual realms. From "up here", one realizes that each of the steps taken are absolute necessities because only through the proper sequence of deliberations can we rightly attain that which we really want.

In fact, Alfred Huang quotes Confucius at this line with the following:


<font color="aa00aa">"The way of the Great Learning is to illustrate brilliant virtue,
to love people, and to rest in conduct that is perfectly good.
</font>

<blockquote><font color="aa00aa">By knowing how to keep still,
one is able to determine what objects he should pursue.
By knowing what objects he should pursue,
one is able to attain clamness of mind.
By knowing how to attain calmness of mind,
one is able to succeed in tranquil repose.
By knowing how to succeed in tranquil repose,
one is able to obtain careful deliberation.
By knowing how to obtain careful deliberation,
one is able to harvest what he really wants to pursue."
</font></blockquote>
 

dobro p

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Cello - it's not the meaning I'm struggling with, it's whether 52.6 is part of the overall progression of meaning in the lower five lines, and if so, what exactly it refers to. Each of the five lower lines has an easily recognisable function - movement, sexuality, emotion, speech - but what function does 'generosity' or 'noble-heartedness' refer to? It sounds more like a development of character than a function which everybody has.

That's why your idea about the third eye, and Dharma's idea about psycho-spiritual realms seems to fit. I mean, Hex 52's main text is all about Chinese yoga, right? So 52.6, at the top of the hexagram, at the peak of the situation, could easily refer to something esoteric. But what exactly? 'Calmness of mind' is an easy concept for me to grasp, and a simple enough task for me in meditation. I know what it means. But I'm far less sure about third eyes. How many third eyes do we have, anyway? Three lol?
 

jte

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"...whether 52.6 is part of the overall progression of meaning in the lower five lines, and if so, what exactly it refers to. Each of the five lower lines has an easily recognisable function - movement, sexuality, emotion, speech..."

Dobro, one reason your question is interesting, but difficult to answer, is because in many moving lines the "motif" of the Hex is picked up and then dropped again, *seemingly* without rhyme or reason.

So 21 has its biting, 34 has its rams, etc. But not in each line.

This begs the question of why this is so. So, one possibility is that 52.6 (or, at least, it's written explanation) just *doesn't* fit the progression. But why not?

Or, could/should you (as someone writing a translation) attempt to translate this in a way that works 52.6 into that progression but keeps its "true meaning". Have you then "not been true" to the original text? Or have you, dare I say, improved on it?

I think a larger question is, what's the reason why the line motifs "turn off and on" - is it arbitrary - the authors just switch for convenience whenever doing so gives them the meaning they wish to convey in a better way? Or is there a logic to it?

Possibly, knowing the answer to that (either way) would be a valuable insight into the Yi.

Food for thought...

- Jeff
 

dobro p

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"I think a larger question is, what's the reason why the line motifs "turn off and on" - is it arbitrary - the authors just switch for convenience whenever doing so gives them the meaning they wish to convey in a better way?"

I'm thinking the reason they stuck with a motif was because it yielded good results - in other words, 52.1 through 52.5 are useful descriptions of major aspects of stilling in both positive and negative aspects - you stop moving, or you stop sexual energy (bad idea) or you stop talking. On the occasions when they broke with a motif, I'm thinking they did it for exactly the same reason - that particular line expressed a meaning which was useful and important in itself, without being part of the motif. In other words, they used whatever symbolized the most important aspects of the hexagram they were constructing/describing.

But what about 52.6? Is it part of the motif? I like to think so, but it's also true that the sixth line is often the top or height of the theme imaged in the hexagram, which sometimes means it's transforming into something other than the rest of the hexagram.

What's 'generous stilling'? What's 'noble-hearted stilling'? It doesn't sound ordinary; it doesn't sound ordinary in the same way that 'stilling movement' or 'stilling speech' is ordinary.
 
D

dharma

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<blockquote>"What's 'generous stilling'? What's 'noble-hearted stilling'? It doesn't sound ordinary; it doesn't sound ordinary in the same way that 'stilling movement' or 'stilling speech' is ordinary."</blockquote>

As I see it, hx52's top line only seems to shift in motif: the peak of the mountain is representative of the utmost in tranquility. A person in this place is in complete command of himself making him able to direct all his energies towards successful activities. Thus, where each successive line below the top one indicates a position that is less than the ideal state of tranquility, the top one is actually only different from the rest in that it is the ideal state of mind. The peak having been reached, the perfect state of stillness has been entered into - no mountain left to scale, only the stillness of the cloud mist..
 

dobro p

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'Compassionate stilling'

Hmmm....

Maybe. It's possible. Or perhaps you extend the stilling to include your environment?

What's the highest form of stilling you can think of? You still movement, but you don't still the flow of energy from inside or below; you still emotion and you still speech. And then you still...? If this is a sequence, and if we were talking about meditation, then after stilling your body and feelings and mental speech, the next thing to still is... well, that's when things start to happen on their own, usually. No stilling required. So maybe it's not part of a sequence. Anybody here who meditates deeper than this?
 

cellofellow

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"A person in this place is in complete command of himself making him able to direct all his energies towards successful activities."

Dharma, I love this line! People often regard 52 as having something to do with yoga. I've had many Alexander Technique lessons, which is basically learning how to move freely. I usually think about this when I get this hexagram. If you ever watch how a young child (5 or 6 years old) moves, you'll notice their posture is totally free and uninhibited. I regard being still as being this state ~ free. Holding on to physical tensions is not being still, it's tension. If you let go of all your unnecessary physical tension (much of which is connected with psychological stresses, so you have to try and shift these as well), then you can allow yourself to function without getting in your own way. Then you can be "in complete command" of yourself, and "direct your energies" very, um, directly.
 

bradford_h

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"What's 'generous stilling'? What's 'noble-hearted stilling'?"

Might I suggest Raja Yoga, the concentration of kings, or the practice of Prince Siddhartha.
 

dobro p

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Hmph. I know how to sit down and shut up, but higher meditation? I don't know how to do that.

I like the way 52.6 has that connection with 15, though.
 

dobro p

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You mean, I might actually have to learn something to understand this line better?

:)
 
D

dharma

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<blockquote>You mean, I might actually have to learn something to understand this line better?"</blockquote>

As far as I can tell, pretty much everything that we come to "know" is through direct experience. We tend to forget that mental gymnastics can only take us so far. For instance, unless you've visually experienced the colour orange directly yourself, my telling you that it is a warm, bright and happy shade isn't going to transmit the colour to your brain. All your brain can do with that information is connect the words I used to other experiences you've had before.

When 52.6 comes up for me I often find myself considering it in much the same way as Cellofellow does. However, when bringing it to the "meditation-table" as you are, linguistically I would have to say that the experience of stillness is the state of 'joyful observation' - you are completely unaffected by all that comes through your inner mind's eye - just observing.. joyfully. That is the implication of generous stillness. <center>
happy.gif
</center>
 

Topher

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52.6 is basically with noble-hearted thoughts/emotions someone is restraining by considering what he would do but the matter to the person is considered an expression of sincerity and humbleness
By knowing how to obtain careful deliberation,
one is able to harvest what he really wants to pursue
 

Olga Super Star

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52.6 is basically with noble-hearted thoughts/emotions someone is restraining by considering what he would do but the matter to the person is considered an expression of sincerity and humbleness
By knowing how to obtain careful deliberation,
one is able to harvest what he really wants to pursue
Topher, can you explain that please?
 

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