4. Childhood

Sequence of the Gua

Zhun denotes what has just been born.
What has just been born is in its childhood,
Thus, after Beginning, Childhood follows.

Decision:

Childhood.
Prosperous and smooth.
It is not I who seek the ignorant,
The ignorant seeks me.
On the first divination, I give light.
Repeating again is contemptuous.
Being contemptuous, I give no more instruction.
Favorable to be steadfast and upright.

Commentary on the Decision

Unenlightened ignorant.
At the foot of a mountain lies difficulty;
Difficulty makes him stand still.
It is ignorant behavior.

The ignorant can be prosperous and smooth
If he acts in accordance with the proper time
And follows the principle of the central way.
It is not I who seeks the ignorant.
The ignorant seeks me.
His will responds to mine.

On the first divination, I give light.
He was firm and in a central position

Repeating again is contemptuous.
Being contemptuous, no more instruction.
Showing contempt causes ignorance.
Uncovering the covered is to nourish the correct nature.
It is a holy task.

Commentary on the Symbol

A spring flows out of a mountain.
The symbol of an unenlightened ignorant.
In correspondence with this,
The superior person makes every effort
To cultivate virtue with resolute deeds.

Top Nine

Punishing the ignorant.
Not favorable to treat like a foe.
Favorable to prevent further mischief.

Preventing further mischief.
UIpper and lower go well.

Significance

The image of the gua is a spring flowing out of a mountain and becoming a murmuring stream. Afterward, the stream grows into a great river, nurturing myriad beings. However, as the river flows over the ground it becomes dirty. This gua takes this image to expound upon the importance of enlightening and educating the ignorant while in the infant stage.

The host of the gua is the yang element at the second place. It is central and firm, able to revere the teacher and therefore teach others. The yin element at the fifth place responds to this yang element. Two analogies are employed to expound upon the gua. One is about education; the other is about marriage. The yang element at the second place is a firm line at the central place of the lower gua. In the I Ching, the lower gua stands in a position inferior to the upper gua. Here, the yang element at the second place plays a major role. It represents a teacher who is enlightening and educating the ignorant. Because it is a firm line in the lower gua, it symbolizes the quality of magnanimity. There are four yielding lines surrounding it, one below and three above. Symbolically, these yielding lines are the ignorant who are to enlightened. the Chinese believed that every ignorant person is different. According to the ancient Chinese tradition, they should be taught in accordance with their aptitudes. The unenlightened should be humble and devout and take the initial step to seek enlightenment. In other words, they should be ready and willing to accept education. On the other hand, one acting as a source of enlightenment should also be patient and forgiving.

The image of this gua is Mountain above Water. In the I Ching, Mountain symbolizes a family, and Water represents the middle son. The four yin lines around a yang line can be viewed as four women approaching a man and intending to marry him. The solid line at the second place is a yang element, a man. The yielding line at the fifth place is a yin element, a woman. They respond to each other, and because both of them are in a central place and they yin and yang, a perfect match.

King Wen arranged this gua as a continuation of the preceding one. The preceding gua pertained to establishing feudal lords; it was a question of foreign affairs. This gua was meant to educate his own people; it had to do with internal affairs. King Wen realized the importance of education in abolishing the old system and establishing a new one. His policy was to start with those who were humble and devout and willing to accept education. In ancient China, divination was part of the social fabric bringing people together. Through divination the king promulgated decrees. In accepting an elder’s instruction, one should be as devout as when accepting the instruction of a divination.

In the Yao Text, the Duke of Zhou gives specific social advice; education, for example, should be used to lead the ignorant to the right path. Punishment should not be employed. A norm of proper behavior should be set up. It is important to be magnanimous to docile minority tribes and to educate them in the way to establish harmonious families and help their descendants sustain their families. It is better not to form alliances with half-hearted tribes, because they are not ready. And for isolated minority tribes, it is necessary to help them come into contact with other people.

Top Nine: Childhood alternates to Multitude (7)

The yang element at the top is at the uppermost place. In this place one reaches the extreme and becomes self-willed and opinionated. the ignorant one is too firm and fiery tempered. The upper gua is Mountain. In the I Ching, the character for Mountain also represents hands; thus the Duke of Zhou refers to punishing an unenlightened child. The ancient way of correcting a child rarely employed punishment. Only when there was no alternative was punishment employed. This gua gives warning that one should not treat the ignorant as a foe. The purpose of punishment is to prevent further mischief. This gua expounds upon a way of correcting mischief. The attitude should be firm, but the means should be gentle. Even punishment should contain gentleness within and express firmness without. The commentary says, “Preventing further mischief. Upper and lower go well.” The upper is the teacher, the lower is the student. The student should be humble and open-minded and the teacher should be patient and forgiving. Then, upper and lower, teacher and student, will do well.

27. Nourishing

Sequence of the Gua

When things are accumilated in great amount, nourishing becomes available. Thus, after Great Accumulation, Nourishing follows.

Decision:

Nourishing.
Being steadfact and upright: good fortune.
Watch your nourishment;
Pay attention to what is in your mouth.

Commentary on the Decision

Nourishing.
Steadfast and upright: good fortune.
When nourishing is right,
Good fortune comes.

Watching how you nourish others;
It is to watch what you provide nourishment for.
Paying attention to what is in your mouth.
It is to pay attention to how you nourish yourself.

Heaven and Earth nourish all beigns.
The holy sages nourish the virtuous,
And thus reqach all.
Great indeed is nourishing in its time!

Commentary on the Symbol

Thunder beneath Mountain.
An imager of Nourishing.
In correspondence with this,
The superior person is careful of his words
And moderate in eating and drinking.

Initial Nine

Putting aside your spiritual tortoise,
Staring at me with mouth drooling.
Misfortune

Significance

This gua outlines the principle of nourishing. In ancient times, the Chinese concept of nourishing included nurturing, especially nurturing one’s virtue. To the ancient Chinese, nourishing without nurturing was the way of animals, The revered sage Mencius says,

Filling with food,
Warming clothes,
Living leisurely without learning,
It is little short of animals.

The ancient sages proclaimed that nourishing and nurturing were not a matter reserved for the family but concerned society as a whole. Nourishing and nurturing family was selfish, nourishing and nurturing society was selfless. Compared with nourishing one’s virtue, nourishing one’s body was secondary. thus, the sages were cautious of words and moderate in diet and provided nourishment and nurturing to the people

Either the yielding line at the fifth place or the solid line at the top could be the host of the gua. However, the solid line at the top is the source of nourishment. Confucius’s Commentary on the Decision says, “Heaven and Earth nourish all beings. The holy sages nourish the virtuous, and thus reach all.”   The host of the gua refers to the person who is trying to follow in the steps of the sages. The first three lines of the gua refer to nourishing oneself. Either misfortune results or nothing will be favorable. The next three lines have to do with nourishing one’s self as as well as others. The results are beneficial.

The gua indicated that after King Wu overthrew the Tyrant of Shang there was a famine in the realm of the Shang dynasty. King Wen instructed the people to nourish the adherents of the Shang dynasty physically as well as spiritually. The Duke of Zhou tells how the adherents of the Shang dynasty put aside their spiritual tortoises and sought physical nourishment from the Zhou dynasty. Normally, the conquered provide sustenance to the conqueror, but here the conqueror nourishes the conquered. If the conqueror were to supply only physical nourishment to the conquered, it would lead to misfortune. Nourishing physical needs and spiritual needs brought good fortune.

Initial Nine: Nourishing alternates to Falling Away (23)

The sold line at the bottom represents a person of resolute character, responding to the yielding line at the fourth place. A tortoise is an animal able to survive without eating and drinking for a long period of time. In ancient China, the tortoise was regarded as a spiritual animal because of its longevity. The Yao Text, “Putting aside your spiritual toirtoise, staring at me with mouth drooling,” denotes that one at this place puts his spirituality aside and watches the person high above him eating. A drooling mouth suggests greed. there is a Chinese adage that says, “Mouth drooling with greed. It is not a noble manner.” The solid line at the bottom is firm and strong. He ought to rely on himself in seeking nourishment for his physical body as well as his spiritual nature. yet he puts adside his own resources and seeks profit from other people’s toil. This behavior ends in misfortune.