Clarity,
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Hi, Peter:A hexagram which I used to often find confusing was Hexagram 55 - Abundance. The Judgement sounds very encouraging with talk of the King attaining abundance etc but nearly all the individual lines present situations of limitation, obfuscation, incapacity or isolation. Any proposed action appears to be limited by fundamental misunderstanding or error.
...
ABUNDANCE has success.
The king attains abundance.
Be not sad.
Be like the sun at midday.
It is not given to every mortal to bring about a time of outstanding greatness and abundance. Only a born ruler of men is able to do it, because his will is directed to what is great. Such a time of abundance is usually brief. Therefore a sage might well feel sad in view of the decline that must follow. But such sadness foes not befit him. Only a man who is inwardly free of sorrow and care can lead in a time of abundance. He must be like the sun at midday, illuminating and gladdening everything under heaven.
Wilhelm / Baynes H. 55 Judgement:
Ch.叚 + 人 person → person whose face is temporarily overlaid by a mask → temporary; provisional; false → lend/borrow temporarily; suppose that; put up a brave front. Leisure is a borrowed meaning, via 暇.
Lawrence Howell at Kanjinetworks
Hi, Peter:Thanks Charly, for a very thought-provoking answer.
If I understand your answer correctly you are suggesting that the First Zhous accepted that the ruling mandate was granted by Heaven and could be withdrawn at any time but the Later Zhous and other dynasties emphasised the exclusive royal prerogative to rule in order to strengthen their position against any possible rebellion - this approach, of course, leads to the view that any ruling dynasty has a legitimate right to uphold and sustain its position indefinitely.
...
The king ATTAINING abundance, a born ruler being the only provider of abundance for the people, is, I believe, based in a biased translation not consistent with the standard sense of the character/word 假 jia3 which focuses in the temporary or even false nature of appearences. (1)...The Judgement, as you yourself point out, refers to 'the king' attaining abundance, hence it could be argued that it supports the view that such abundance is received by virtue of royal privilege - it gives no direct reference to time or duration other than an implicit link to transience through the endorsement to 'Be like the sun at midday.' The Commentary on the Decision, however, gives a directly specific reference to transient duration - 'When the sun stands at midday, it begins to set; when the moon is full, it begins to wane. The fullness and emptiness of heaven and earth wane and wax in the course of time.'
...
The Judgement, as you yourself point out, refers to 'the king' attaining abundance, hence it could be argued that it supports the view that such abundance is received by virtue of royal privilege - it gives no direct reference to time or duration other than an implicit link to transience through the endorsement to 'Be like the sun at midday.' The Commentary on the Decision, however, gives a directly specific reference to transient duration - 'When the sun stands at midday, it begins to set; when the moon is full, it begins to wane. The fullness and emptiness of heaven and earth wane and wax in the course of time.'
Hi, Maria:Interesting discussion !
... What charly, said "carpe diem' There is something personal and also collective. In the midst of darkness, you need to be the Sun... No time to mourn...
Have you read Steve´s Marshall book relating H.55 with the Zhou conquest being the eclipse an omen of success? Let me know what you think.
Yours,
Charly
In the midst of darkness we can enjoy like kings. 豐 feng means EXUBERANCE and with a radical at the left it is 禮li, manners, RITES. Feng, as a protograph of li had maybe both senses: exuberant rites made in the shade...
Hi, Maria:
In the midst of darkness we can enjoy like kings. 豐 feng means EXUBERANCE and with a radical at the left it is 禮 li, manners, RITES. Feng, as a protograph of li had maybe both senses: exuberant rites made in the shade...
Inner: fire (middaughter, passion) or light (clarity, guidance)
Outer: thunder (eldest son / big brother, rumble / command / arousing = provoking arousal)
Have you read Steve´s Marshall book relating H.55 with the Zhou conquest being the eclipse an omen of success? Let me know what you think.
Yours,
Charly
anemos The abundance of choices said:Thanks Maria, there's much here that I can fully agree with. My original intention was to illustrate the contrast that occurs when two trigrams (Chen and Li) initially in keeping with the Early Heaven sequence (Chen below Li - Hex 21, Shih Ho) are re-ordered to produce Chen above Li - Hex 55 Feng.
Hex 21, Biting Through, represents a situation of careful penetration in order to arrive at an accurate understanding of a situation, in going through this process one absorbs and integrates the principal elements involved in the truth of the situation. But this can often involve modest perseverance and a sustained desire for truth.
In contrast, Feng 'appears' to offer immediate satisfaction. In the fullest surge of abundant EXUBERANCE (thanks Charly) Chen abandons its place in the Early Heaven sequence and sweeps past Li to form Hex 55, Feng. In our fervent desire for progress we abandon the sustained pursuit of truth and seek instead the immediate fulfilment of our desires. Chen over Li appears to promise a favourable situation but closer analysis reveals a very different picture. In passing over Li, Chen creates the lower nuclear trigram Sun, representing shade and darkness - lack of awareness - an eclipse. The new upper nuclear trigram is Tui, which can represent breaking apart. Thus we have a situation based on lack of awareness with the likely potential of falling apart. Chen above Li presents an open-ended situation, Chen is no longer focused on an identifiable target (as it is in Hex 21, Shih Ho) it can now have any target, it no longer has a goal or direction but is driven-on by the relentless urges of ego. Power is no longer based upon disciplined appraisal, it is now simply assumed on the basis of freedom from responsibility. In such a chaotic setting it is unsurprising that the claim to insight will be assumed or ‘borrowed’ by those with little or no actual insight.
A saving grace present throughout the entire hexagram is nicely described by yourself, Maria. In a position of sustained eclipse the impact of the individual components, the relative formations, of the situation fades and fades, leaving one with a view of the big picture - the goal. In Taoism and some Buddhist schools this is described as a condition of ’No Mind’ and is regarded as the highest level of perception. I fully agree with your description of this in your work as an artist where your struggle to capture the ‘essence’ of a picture will be supreme.
Chen above Li presents an open-ended situation, Chen is no longer focused on an identifiable target (as it is in Hex 21, Shih Ho) it can now have any target, it no longer has a goal or direction but is driven-on by the relentless urges of ego. Power is no longer based upon disciplined appraisal, it is now simply assumed on the basis of freedom from responsibility. In such a chaotic setting it is unsurprising that the claim to insight will be assumed or ‘borrowed’ by those with little or no actual insight.
Only then can brilliance shine like the sun at midday, and this is the omen hoped for and sought in this hexagram.
and awe.., appreciation for the source(es) and the support. The eclipsed sun is a short-lived event, and a reminder that this overwhelming light is essential for life and success, yet it can not be looked at directly. So this leader must possess humility and not mistake him/herself as being the source....like the eclipsed sun brings forth clarity (?)
Peter, in your personal readings, when given 55 can you recall if your experience a lack of awareness or was kind of abundant awareness that was overwhelming ( a similar feeling as in 28 yet sprung from totally different 'causes' ) too much light, iow. Having in mind some specific and powerful 55 readings , I recall feelings as I perfectly knew what needed to be done, yet that sources of "insight" was not comprehensible in terms of rational explanation ; "where that came from ?" "what is this "vision" was questions were asking myself. The "what " needed to be done was clear in some ways ;the "how" and the origins of this 'insight' was how I experience the eclipse.
I'm not suggesting that is the only way to decode 55 yet the intensity of this experience makes me ask the rest of you if you can relate or experience something similar.
Hi, María:no, don't have the book. Anything you could share about it ?
... and about the bold one too curious ( a looot )
豔 ... yan4 ... plump / voluptuous / gorgeous / colorful / gaudy / anything pertaining to love, as a love story, love song, etc. / amorous / a beauty / radiant / to admire or envy
Source: Sears' Chineseetymology
http://www.chineseetymology.org/CharacterEtymology.aspx?submitButton1=Etymology&characterInput=豔
and awe.., appreciation for the source(es) and the support. The eclipsed sun is a short-lived event, and a reminder that this overwhelming light is essential for life and success, yet it can not be looked at directly. So this leader must possess humility and not mistake him/herself as being the source.
My doubting the I Ching's previous assurances is causing an eclipse in my outlook.
Hi, María:
I had an accident and have lost the last posts. As soon as I get my Steve Marshall I will share.
Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).