42. I / Increase

[rosada]

Well, I had asked earlier for a reading on the prospects of selling our home to my son. Turns out it's too late to apply for the loan we were counting on (We had gotten washed out in Katrina and he qualified for a special low interest loan). When I saw we would be at 42.3 about this time I thought this was a sign he would qualify. "One is enriched through unfortunate events," certainly sounds like getting some benefit after the flood. However, this could just as easily be interpreted as saying not getting the loan and continuing to live here is in our best interest. Amazing how what appears to be a clear answer can have so many interpretations!!! Furthermore, my son is intending to appeal the decision and he may still get it if he takes his case to a higher authority, "No blame, if you are sincere and walk in the middle, and report with a seal to the prince."

 

[meng]

There are no accidents, all things have a deep and calculated purpose; sometimes the methods employed by Providence seem strange and incongruous, but we have only to be patient and wait for the result: then we recognize that no others would have answered the purpose, and we are rebuked and humbled. ~ Mark Twain

 

[rosada]

Oh that is perfect for our own Portable Dragon!

Speaking of which, if does anyone have a song for 42.3? After you post it on the Open Space thread I hope you'll post it here too!

 

[fkegan]

hex 42.3 >> hex 37

Hex 42 line 3--the place of personal passion developing focus, turning the hexagram from the Cosmic gift to the institutional structure of home and family. In a practical sense it sounds like an unexpected pregnancy brings about a formal marriage.

Gia-Fu Feng translation, and my notes upon the line...

SOMETHING GIVEN AND YOU USE IT TO WREAK CALAMITY. NO BLAME.HAVE FAITH. KEEP CENTERED. REPORT TO THE PRINCE WITH A SEAL. Sometimes harshness is necessary; to have faith is to be humble and open.

Notes on hex42.3 Passionate blessing is still a quiet and reserved inner awareness even though it may take the form of mighty energy unleashed. The passion of the tornado, expresses its blessing in the quiet relief of those spared.

Frank

 

[charly]

...I am now thinking 42.2 points to receiving something small, something you can handle, something you can persevere with that over time results in Good fortune.
Would vegetables tie in somehow with what you mean by something for the common people, Charly?

Rosada:
You have the key of 42.2. You are the one who can increase by 10 the small received gift.

I believe that 42.2 is warning us agaist expecting too much from the superior powers. If we remain whith the friends or companions to whom we belong, we can get a high increase. The own idea if increasing has attached small beginings.

To follow people more important than us has its dissadvantages (and dangers), important people are always commited with other people yet more important. Kings are always looking at their own superior ancestors and sacrificing to them. And sometimes their ancestors want some nice piece of meat, sometimes human meat.

If we are commoners, maybe vegetables are our best food, by incresing our strenght sometimes we could get the joy of meat.

Remembeer the turtle of ZhuangZi, that prefered to continue moving his tail in the mud and not be killed althoug honored by the King.

Yours,

Charly

 

[rosada]

I think I'm seeing a pattern here. 41. Decrease talks about decreasing one's passions, perhaps specifically the need to be the leader, to do everything oneself, to shrink or decrease to become more of a member of a team so ultimately in 41.6 everyone is equal and working together. Then 42, Increase shows that by taking things in small small the Good isn't so exciting, the Bad isn't so devastating and ultimately this leads to a well run lasting system described in 43. where blessings can be continually enjoyed and passed on and renewed. 43 is the interesting reverse of 23. In 23 we see the Superior Man trying to maintain his position by sharing what he has, but it's sort of a frantic feeling, like trying to buy off hoodlums, paying "protection" so the gang wont rob you. The image of 23 is of something that has shot up quickly with a weak base that will topple over. 43 on the other hand, while it also describes passing on benefits, has a strong sense of give and take that creates a perpetual motion, it doesn't topple over.

 

[rosada]

42.4
# Six in the fourth place means:

If you walk in the middle
And report to the prince,
He will follow.
It furthers one to be used
In the removal of the capital.

It is important that there should be men who mediate between leaders and followers. These should be disinterested people, especially in times of increase, since the benefit is to spread from the leader to the people. Nothing of this benefit should be held back in a selfish way: it should really reach those for whom it is intended. This sort of intermediary, who also exercises a good influence on the leader, is especially important in times when it is a matter of great undertakings, decisive for the future and requiring the inner assent of all concerned.

 

[rosada]

42.2
The lord giveth.

42.3
The lord taketh away.

42.4
Honest give and take allows change to evolve without crisis.

 

[rosada]

Secret Message - Please Read.

Will the person reading this message please post the next hexagram line: 42.5.
There is a secret message there just for you.

 

[charly]

Will the person reading this message please post the next hexagram line: 42.5.
There is a secret message there just for you.

° Nine in the fifth place means:
If in truth you have a kind heart, ask not.
Supreme good fortune.
Truly, kindness will be recognized as your virtue.

True kindness does not count upon nor ask about merit and gratitude but acts from inner necessity. And such a truly kind heart finds itself rewarded in being recognized, and thus the beneficent influence will spread unhindered.

Wilhelm/Baynes

:bows:

 

[charly]

...
If in truth you have a kind heart, ask not.
Supreme good fortune.
Truly, kindness will be recognized as your virtue.
...

Rosada:

What nice a message!

Some guys have bloody versions of this line, I believe misunderstood. They begin reading the fu character 孚 as war prisoner / captive, in bronze characters fu, with the standing man radical added.

Traditional readings interpret fu 孚 as truth / sincerity.

I believe that in the commentaries we must translate it as truth / sincerity, but in the core text as captive (in general, for human beings or animals) when noun is required and to capture / to catch when a verb is required.

See how looks the chinese text, the usual meanings, W/B version and a literal gloss.

有 you3: to have // there is / there are // [YOU] HAVE
孚 fu2: to capture / to catch / captive // truth / sincerity // [IF IN] TRUTH
惠 hui4: kind / kindness // [A] KIND
心 xin1: heart / mind // HEART
// [PARSING OMMITTED]
勿 wu4: do not / not // NOT
問 wen4: ask // ASK
元 yuan2: first // supreme / great // SUPREME
吉 ji2: luck / lucky / good fortune // GOOD FORTUNE
// [PARSING RESPECTED]
有 you3: to have // there is / there are [WILL BE RECOGNIZED AS]
孚 fu2: to capture / to catch / captive // truth // TRULY
惠 hui4: kind / kindness // KINDNESS
我 wo3: I / me / my // we / us / our // YOUR (!)
德 de2: virtue // character // VIRTUE

A something literal rendering:

Having caugth [a] kind mind [or heart],
Do not ask [for] great luck.

Having caught kindness [is] our virtue.
​

Maybe the YI is telling that if we get kindness of heart as we catch an opportunity, we don't need to lie in our good luck, kindness is our capital, we know how to behave.

Increasing do not came from others, it came from ourselves.

No so far from W/B version.

Yours,

Charly

 

[charly]

42.4
...
If you walk in the middle
And report to the prince,
He will follow.
It furthers one to be used
In the removal of the capital.
...

Rosada:

I don trust in W/B version of 42.4.

Chinese line text, usual meanings, W/W

中zhong1: correct // centre / central // middle // [IN THE] MIDDLE
行xing2: to behave // to walk // [IF YOU] WALK

告gao4: to inform / to report // [AND] REPORT
公gong1: Duke // [TO THE] PRINCE (1)
從cong2: to follow // unhurried // [HE] WILL FOLLOW

利li4: profitable // IT FURTHERS [ONE]
用yong4: to apply / to use / to execute // to sacrifice // (2)
為wei2: to take as / mean // TO BE USED (3)
依yi1: according to // IN
遷quian1: to move / moving / movement // [THE] REMOVAL
國guo2: country / nation / state // [OF THE] CAPITAL

A something more literal rendering:

Correct behavior:
Aware Duke [acts] unhurriedly.

Profitable to apply resources
according with moving nation.

Maybe...

The line gives us an example of how to behave correctly: the Duke is an aware person that takes the things unhurriedly. He takes his time, and uses resources that proved to be effective for the nation, a behavior that moves people.

If "moving nation" stands for Zhou people, the Duke could be the Duke of Zhou, that behave himself according with the country interests.

Few people would be used in removing capitals. All we can take the correct path (4), and to know how to behave increases our own possibilities.


Yours,

Charly


___________________
(1) GONG = DUKE / noble of high rank, like the Duke o Zhou.
(2) LI YONG means effective, results known by experience > "it furthers".
(3) did chinese use passive voice?
(4) we also can take the wrong path mistakenly or not, but this is another story.

 

[rosada]

Hi Charly!

Thank you for understanding and responding to my message!
You do indeed have a kind heart.

Maybe the debate about heart and luck could be resolved by saying that when one has a kind heart it doesn't matter if your luck is good or bad.

 

[rosada]

42.6
Nine at the top means:
He brings increase to no one.
Indeed, someone even strikes him.
He does not keep his heart constantly steady.
Misfortune.

The meaning here is that through renunciation those in high place should bring increase to those below. By neglecting this duty and helping no one, they in turn lose the furthering influence of others and soon fine themselves alone. In this way they invite attacks. An attitude not permanently in harmony with the demands of the time will necessarily brings misfortune with it.

 

[charly]

42.6
He brings increase to no one.
Indeed, someone even strikes him.
He does not keep his heart constantly steady.
Misfortune.

Rosada:

Chinese text, standard meaning, W/B:

莫mo4: there is none who / [TO] NO ONE
益yi4: benefit / increase / [HE BRINGS] INCREASE
之zhi1: 's / him / her / it / [?]
。
或huo4: maybe / perhaps / might / possibly / INDEEED
擊ji2: to strike / to break / [SOMEONE EVEN] STRIKES
之zhi1: 's / him / her / it / HIM
。
立li4: set up / to stand / to built / KEEP
心xin1: heart / mind / HEART
勿wu4: do not / not [HE DOES] NOT
恆heng2: permanent / durable / to fix / CONSTANTLY STEADY
。
凶xiong1 fierce / ominous / disgrace / MISFORTUNE
。

I wonder why not parsing another way.
TO PARSE OR NOT TO PARSE, THAT'S THE QUESTION!
OR HOW TO PARSE.

Parsing this line for a negative omen.

Nobody goes to increase it.
Maybe goes to break it.
Set up a heart without constancy.
Misfortune.

Parsing this line for a positive omen.

Nobody goes to increase it, maybe [somebody] goes to break it.
Up the hearts!
Do not fix (or do not make constant) [the] misfortune.


Increase doesn't last forever.
Do not make worse our situation mourning because of it.


Yours,

Charly

 

[rosada]

42.6 No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.

I dunno, Charly, I think there is more going on at 42.6 than simply that the time of Increase has passed. I mean, I think it is somehow the natural outcome of 42.5, that is, when the times have moved on, It spells out the danger of what can happen when the kind heart continues to "ask not" and just expects to be recognized. 42 seems to be about the need for give and take, so perhaps the problem in 42.6 appears when the kind heart business continues without pausing for feedback and the person just assumes his good intentions will be recognized from now on when in reality, the back and forth, give and take discussion must continue or misunderstandings result.
For example:
I am again away from home taking care of Mom so my sister can have a bit of a vacation. I called her today with a question and just assumed she would recognize that I was the dear kind person conscientiously doing my best to help out. Instead she was really annoyed that I was disrupting her badly needed break. So I was trying to be kind hearted but I brought increase to no one ("He brings increase to no one") and my sister probably would have smacked me if she could have ("Indeed someone even strikes him") But I think the lesson of 42 is to stay centered through all the inevitable ups and downs and misunderstandings. So the real challenge of 42.6 is to keep the heart steady, otherwise you feel terrible even when your intentions were good, and that is the real misfortune. (He does not keep his heart constantly steady. Misfortune.")
Sooo..
42.6 Keep communicating cause even a kind heart can't do everything right!

 

[dobro p]

I see 'Increase' as being either neutral or positive, so when the line text says: "He brings increase to no one", I take that to mean that the time of Increase is indeed passing. Unless you take the rest of the line text to indicate some sort of increase: I mean, if you think that being struck by somebody is a form of increase (more suffering than before), or if you think that not keeping your heart steady is a form of increase (more unsteadiness than before), or if you think that misfortune is a form of increase (more misfortune than before), then in that case you can see 42.6 as being a form of increase. But I think that twists the meaning out of all shape. I think that 42.6 images a time when Increase is passing, and all that painful stuff kicks in.

But there's one other way to see 42.6 NOT as a time when Increase is passing. The implied meaning of 42.6 might be "He SHOULD bring increase to the situation, and if he did that, then all those negative things wouldn't happen". In other words, there's an opportunity to bring increase to the situation, which, if you miss, will result in pain.

 

[rosada]

So how does one "keep the heart constantly steady"?

 

[dobro p]

So how does one "keep the heart constantly steady"?

Well, for me, that's the heart of 42.6, in more ways than one.

How to keep the heart steady? Watch it. It's when you don't watch the heart that it's free to act up. But as soon as you observe it, just watch it and keep watching it, it starts to calm down.

 

[fkegan]

hex 42.6 >> 3

A more general explanation of hex 42 line 6 is that by expressing and exhausting this Yang line, the timing moves on toward hex 3 where receiving increase (blessing) from others becomes starting a new initiative.

The difficult transition here which brings increase to no one else, even inviting being struck and represents not keeping the heart steady could also be described as personal innovation centered in Self in response to having absorbed all this Cosmic increase.

The 6th line is always a place of transition to some next; as a moving line changes the structure of the hexagram to some other. This 6th line, when moving involves two orders of change with the sense of personal innovation highlighted and the continuity of the Cosmic increase received being transformed. Our commentary upon the lines of the Yi are skewed toward advise for Imperial bureaucrats whose most dangerous and difficult actions always would be to show any sort of personal initiative and thus cause waves from all others in that system.

Frank

 

[rosada]

Thanks for your thoughts on how to keep the heart steady, dobro. I think you are right that 42.6 is a warning. I've seen it come up in association with overdosing.