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The 29th Floor, Embarcadero Center

Autumnal Equinox 2019

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59. Dispersing



Sequence of the Gua

After happiness and joyfulness, there comes dispersing.
Thus, after Joyful, Dispersing follows.

Decision:

Dispersing.
Prospersous and smooth.
The king arrives at the temple.
Favorable to cross great rivers.
Favorble to be steadfast and upright.

Commentary on the Decision

Dispersing.
Prosperity and smoothness.

The firm comes comes without hindrance.
The yielding is at the proper place.
It goes out to meet its similarity above.

The king arrives at the temple.
His is in the central place
Favorable to cross great rivers.
The merit comes from mounting on the wood.

Commentary on the Symbol

The wind mover over the water.
An image of dispersing.
In correspondence with this,
The ancient king offers sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven
And establishes temples.

Second Nine

Dispersing.
Hurrying to an opportune moment.
Regret vanishes.

Significance

The gua takes the image of the wind moving over the water to demonstrate the act of dispersing people’s resentment. During the time of dispersing, having a leader with wisdom and foresight is crucial. The king approaching his temple gives us an image of his connection with the spiritual world. Crossing great rivers signifies the hardship and difficulty of the work. Steadfastness and uprightness should be the virtue of a great leader. He has self-confidence, so his is able to live and work in peace. The host of the gua is the solid line at the fifth place. This line represents the king who approaches his temple to connect himself with the Lord of Heaven. During the time of dispersing he is the only one who, in the honored place, is able to establish order throughout his nation. The fourth line represents the king’s minister, while the second line is his officer. They faithfully assist the king to unite the people in the time of dispersing.

During King Wen’s sitting in stillness he meditated upon joyfulness and dispersion. After people had been joyful, their energy dispersed, and their focus was scattered. At such a time, a leader with wisdom and foresight was needed. Heed arrived at his temple and communicated with the deity. His sincerity and trustworthiness encouraged people to work in full cooperation and with unity of purpose. The Duke of Zhou narrates that to be of help at such a time, one should have the speed of a strong horse. Dispersing self-serving gbroups led to a union as solid as a mound.

The Myriad

Summer Solstice 2019

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60. Restricting



Sequence of the Gua

Things cannot disperse forever. Thus, after Dispersing, restricting follows.

Decision:

Restricting.
Prosperous and smooth.
Not appropriate to be steadfast.
In bitter restriction.

Commentary on the Decision

Restricting.
Prosperity and smoothness.
The firm and the yielding are equally divided,
And the firms obtain the central places.
Not appropriate to be steadfast in bitter restriction.
Its way leads to the end.

Passing the danger with joy,
Carry out restriction in the proper position.
From the central and correct place,
His advance is without limitation.

When Heaven and Earth regulate their restriction,
Then the four seasons complete their functions.
When restriction is put into regulation,
Then resources will not be exhausted
And people will not be hurt.

Commentary on the Symbol

Water over Lake.
An image of Restricting.
In correspondence with this,
The superior person creates numbers and measures fore restriction
And discusses a moral code for social conduct.

Fifth Nine

Sweet restriction.
Good fortune.
Going forward: esteem

Significance

The gua takes the image of water in a lake to illustrate that there is a need to regulate the excessiveness and insufficiency of water and applies the principle to adjusting right and wrong in human society. the nature of water is moving, When water is moving, it is fresh and clean, and when it stops, it becomes stagnant and stale. If the water moves without direction, it will be either wasted or exhausted. If it is dammed up without a plan, it will cause flood and calamity. The ancient Chinese accumilated experience in dealing with the Yellow River, which flooded once a year for thousands of years. Their experience was to dredge the riverbed and to guide the water, based upon the principle of adjusting its excessiveness and insufficiency, to control the rate of its flow. From this experience, they applied the principle of regulating rivers and watercourses to social affairs.

The lower gua is Lake. Water in the lake is rising. Beyond the third line, it will overflow. The upper gua is Water. The nature of water is to flow. When the water reaches the topmost line, it shoud stop. Otherwise flood and calamity will ensue. The message of the gua is that if there is there is too little water, one should be concerned about possible drought. In our daily lives, we should strike a balance between excess and insufficiency and walk in the central path.

The host of the gua is the solid line at the fifth place. Only a person supreme wisdom and one in an honorable place is able to adjust right and wrong and practice the Tao of restriction.

During King Wen’s sitting in stillness he realized that after overcoming dispersion, people came together to work in full cooperation and with unity of purpose. It was time to promote restriction—to set limits to one’s expenses and bounds on one’s behavior. Promoting restraint would bring people and the government sucess, but painful restriction should not become common practice. The Duke of Zhou narrates different consequences of restriction. If either government or the people do not observe restraint, it would create unhappiness. Peaceful restriction bring success and invites good fortune. Painful restriction results in misfortune.


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Wisdom of the Daodejing

Daodejing 32

Existence is infinite, not to be defined. And though it seem but a bit of wood in your hand, to carve as you please, it is not to be lightly played with and laid down.

When rulers adhered to the way of life, they were upheld by natural loyalty. Heaven and earth were joined and made fertile, life was a freshness of rain—subject to none, free to all.

But men of culture came, with their grades and their distinctions; and as soon as such differences had been devised no one knew where to end them. Though the one who does know the end of all such differences is the sound man.

Existence might be likened to the course of many rivers reaching the one sea.

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