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The Superior Man

rosada

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The Superior Man...

Makes himself strong and untiring.

Carries the outer world.

Brings order out of confusion.

Fosters his character
By throughness in all that he does.

Eats and drinks,
Is joyous and of good cheer.

In all his transactions
Carefully considers the beginning.

Increases his masses
By generosity to the people.

Has sublimity, constancy, and
perseverance.

Refines the outward aspect of his nature.

Discriminates between high and low,
And thereby fortifies the thinking of the people.

Divides and completes the course of heaven and earth,
He furthers and regulates the gifts of heaven and earth,
And so aids the people.

Falls back upon his inner worth
In order to escape difficulties.
He does not permit himself to be honored with
revenue.

Organizes the clans
And makes distinctions between things.

Curbs evil and furthers good,
And thereby obeys the benevolent will of heaven.

Reduces that which is too much,
And augments that which is too little.
He weighs things and makes them equal.

Makes music in order to honor merit,
And offers it with splendor
To the Supreme Diety,
Inviting the ancestors to be present.

At nightfall
Goes indoors for rest and recuperation.

Stirs up the people
And strengthens their spirit.

Is inexhaustible
In his will to teach,
And without limits,
In his tolerance and protection of the people.

Visits the regions of the world,
Contemplates the people,
And gives them instruction.

Makes firm the laws
Through clearly defined penalties.

Proceeds with grace
When clearing up current affairs.
But he dare not decide controversial issues
In this way.

Ensures his position
By giving generously to those below.

Closes the passes
At the time of solstice.
Merchants and strangers do not go about,
And the ruler
Does not travel through the provinces.

Rich in virtue, and in harmony with the time,
Fosters and nourishes all beings.

Acquaints himself with many
sayings of antiquity
And many deeds of the past,
In order to strengthen his character thereby.

Is careful of his words
And temperate in eating and drinking.

When he stands alone,
Is unconcerned,
And if he has to renounce the world,
He is undaunted.

Walks in lasting virtue
And carries on the business of teaching.

Perpetuates brightness,
Illumines the four quarters of the world.

Encourages people to
approach him
By his readiness to receive them.

Stands firm
And does not change his direction.

Keeps the inferior man at a
distance,
Not angrily but with reserve.

Does not tread upon paths
That do not accord with established order.

Himself
Brightens his bright virtue.

Lives with the great mass:
He veils his light, yet still shines.

Has substance in his words
And duration in his way of life.

Amid all fellowship
Retains his individuality.

Turns his attention to himself
And molds his character.

Pardons mistakes
And forgives misdeeds.

Controls his anger
And restrains his instincts.
 
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B

bruce_g

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Very interesting, Rosada. This would make a great answer for the monkey dude over on the other thread.
 

rosada

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The Superior Man...

Makes himself strong and untiring.

Carries the outer world.

Brings order out of confusion.

Fosters his character
By throughness in all that he does.

Eats and drinks,
Is joyous and of good cheer.

In all his transactions
Carefully considers the beginning.

Increases his masses
By generosity to the people.

Has sublimity, constancy, and
perseverance.

Refines the outward aspect of his nature.

Discriminates between high and low,
And thereby fortifies the thinking of the people.

Divides and completes the course of heaven and earth,
He furthers and regulates the gifts of heaven and earth,
And so aids the people.

Falls back upon his inner worth
In order to escape difficulties.
He does not permit himself to be honored with
revenue.

Organizes the clans
And makes distinctions between things.

Curbs evil and furthers good,
And thereby obeys the benevolent will of heaven.

Reduces that which is too much,
And augments that which is too little.
He weighs things and makes them equal.

Makes music in order to honor merit,
And offers it with splendor
To the Supreme Diety,
Inviting the ancestors to be present.

At nightfall
Goes indoors for rest and recuperation.

Stirs up the people
And strengthens their spirit.

Is inexhaustible
In his will to teach,
And without limits,
In his tolerance and protection of the people.

Visits the regions of the world,
Contemplates the people,
And gives them instruction.

Makes firm the laws
Through clearly defined penalties.

Proceeds with grace
When clearing up current affairs.
But he dare not decide controversial issues
In this way.

Ensures his position
By giving generously to those below.

Closes the passes
At the time of solstice.
Merchants and strangers do not go about,
And the ruler
Does not travel through the provinces.

Rich in virtue, and in harmony with the time,
Fosters and nourishes all beings.

Acquaints himself with many
sayings of antiquity
And many deeds of the past,
In order to strengthen his character thereby.

Is careful of his words
And temperate in eating and drinking.

When he stands alone,
Is unconcerned,
And if he has to renounce the world,
He is undaunted.

Walks in lasting virtue
And carries on the business of teaching.

Perpetuates brightness,
Illumines the four quarters of the world.

Encourages people to
approach him
By his readiness to receive them.

Stands firm
And does not change his direction.

Keeps the inferior man at a
distance,
Not angrily but with reserve.

Does not tread upon paths
That do not accord with established order.

Himself
Brightens his bright virtue.

Lives with the great mass:
He veils his light, yet still shines.

Has substance in his words
And duration in his way of life.

Amid all fellowship
Retains his individuality.

Turns his attention to himself
And molds his character.

Pardons mistakes
And forgives misdeeds.

Controls his anger
And restrains his instincts.

If he sees good, he imitates it;
If he has faults, he rids himself of them.

Dispenses riches downward
And refrains from resting on his virtue.

Disseminates his commands
And proclaims them to the four quarters of heaven.

Renews his weapons
In order to meet the unforeseen.

Heaps up small things
In order to achieve something high and great.

Stakes his life
On following his will.

Encourages people at their work,
And exhorts them to help one another.

Sets the calendar in order
And makes the seasons clear.

Consolidates his fate
By making his position correct.

Sets his life in order
And examines himself.

Does not permit his thoughts
To go beyond his situation.

Abides in dignity and virtue,
In order to improve the mores.

Understands the transitory
In light of the eternity of the end.

Decides lawsuits
And carries out punishments.

Is clear-minded and cautious
In imposing penalties.
And protracts no lawsuits.

Spreads his commands abroad
And carries out his undertakings.

Joins with his friends
For discussion and practice.

Sacrifices to the Lord
And builds temples.

Creates number and measure,
And examines the nature of virtue and correct
conduct.

Discusses criminal cases
In order to delay executions.

Gives preponderance to reverance.
In bereavement he gives preponderance to grief,
In his expenditures he gives preponderance to thrift.

Takes thought of misfortune
And arms himself against it in advance.

Is careful in the differentiation of things;
So that each finds its place.
 
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dobro p

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The superior man eschews lists of qualities
Simplifies his life
And holds to his aim
 

lindsay

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Rosada, a lot of this advice seems to apply to a Public Person, a leader or actor in the public arena. I tried substituting "the superior man" with "a good President of the United States". Never mind what happened next - all our data is being mined.

Lindsay
 

Sparhawk

One of those men your mother warned you about...
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lindsay said:
Rosada, a lot of this advice seems to apply to a Public Person, a leader or actor in the public arena. I tried substituting "the superior man" with "a good President of the United States". Never mind what happened next - all our data is being mined.

Lindsay

Ahem, "Superior Man" seems to me less of a mythical animal than "a good President of the United States"... :D

L
 

dobro p

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It's a very nice list, and I'm impressed by its insightfulness, but it's one of those things that you admire but find hard to apply, cuz it's so bitty. It's a list of descriptors rather than a method, is what I mean. I esteem method more highly.
 

rosada

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Hi dobro,
Some of the ways I have "applied" this list (and I hope everyone realizes these are not my ideas, but Wilhelm's translations of THE IMAGEs) is first of all I was just sort of delighted to have the key ideas of the I Ching in one place at the same time (ah, the illusion of control!), then I copied them out in on individual 3 x 5 cards so I could sort them into stacks - all the advices on lawsuits and executions in one pile, thoughts on teaching in another - which I thought was kinda interesting. Then I placed them around the house, like mottos similar to Home Sweet Home, only we now have in our kitchen, "Eat Drink and Be of Good Cheer!" and over the mirror, "Brighten your bright virtue!". I've also had fun sorting them in terms of opposites: "Does not allow his thoughts to go beyond his current situation" / "Takes thought of misfortune and arms himself against it in advance."

Results so far:

The phrases come to my mind more easily through out the day when the advice maybe useful.

I am attracked to different books in the library. Today I got "Lend Me Your Ears" which is a collection of memorable speeches through out history from Mark Anthony to Jesus to Huey Long to Bush. That is to say, putting the list of ideas out into the Cyber Space Universe seems to have drawn other Great Thoughts back to me.
 
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