body body body

[dobro p]

Karcher says shen1 means 'body' but not in the sense of 'physical being'. But I don't buy it; I think shen1 means EXACTLY physical being. We find it only in 52 and 52.4. My take on 52 its that it's about a meditative state in which one lets go of concerns with the outward and physical and through stillness, focusses attention inwardly (the 'courtyard' is the inner dimension here, I think).

Whatcha think?

 

[maremaria]

Hi Dobro,

Your title draw my attention, cuz I had a ,lets say, body issue which forced me to stillness. I found in 52 both a literal meaning, rest and also a metaphorical meaning as inner rest. Form more than one reason I had to stay as a mountain, unmovable. Here is a little bit more about my 52 experience

Maria

 

[dobro p]

Read your story - sounds like you're developing some discrimination and balance. (As for the 'general' in the story, that's the part of your mind that *thinks* it's a general, but isn't really. Actually it's a sergeant. The trouble starts when it thinks it's a general. The problems start to disappear when you find the real general in yourself.)

As for 52, I can see how it can mean physical rest or mental stillness, depending on the situation. The basic message is: keep still. Anyway, the reason I started this thread was because a lot of people translate that term shen1 as 'self' (meaning one's individuality, one's being), but if I understand it correctly, the Yi's using a physical image as a symbol for all sorts of things. And that image, if I understand it corrrectly, is that of the physical body.

lol And whether you translate it as 'body' or 'self', the hexagram works just as well for people in your situation. Keep still. Good luck with the new balance.

 

[maremaria]

thank you